Masterchef star, author and TV presenter Poh Ling Yeow has opened up about her grief over suffering a miscarriage nearly a decade ago.
In a sneak peek of tonight’s episode of ABC’s Australian Story, Poh revealed that she and ex-husband Jonathan Bennett were expecting a baby together eight years ago, but sadly lost their child at 12 weeks.
“It was the day I was allowed to tell everyone,” Poh said on Australian Story. “It was really heartbreaking and I actually went through full labour at home and I saw the baby.
“I’m bringing this up because I think it’s something people should talk about, and it’s this silent grief that women have to go through all the time.
She continued, “I really like to confront my emotions upfront. I think it’s really healthy, I don’t like to bury anything. It was probably one of the most horrendous things I’d ever been through.”
Poh, who was runner-up to Julie Goodwin in the first season of Masterchef Australia in 2009, is also set to discuss her breakup with Jonathan in 2019 after 12 years together.
“Jono and I broke up two years ago but we stayed really good friends. At the beginning, we thought love could conquer all but I think little things chip away and we realised we just had to set each other free again,” she said.
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In fact, Poh is apparently on such good terms with her former flames that she often asks Jonathan and ex-husband Matt Phipps for dating advice.“The advice they give me is so frank because no one would know me better!” she revealed.
Elsewhere in the chat, Poh revealed that she had met her ex-husband Phipps while she was a member of the Mormon church, which she joined as a teenager.
“When I was 16, our family went through some issues with our [newsagency] business. We were feeling quite vulnerable and some missionaries came knocking from the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints and mum and I converted to Mormonism,” Yeow said.
“Because of that feeling of always being on the outer, it felt very nice to belong some place that always felt safe and welcoming.”
After meeting her first husband at church, the pair decided to exit the church before getting married.
“The first time in my life, I felt completely free,” she said.
Australian Story is on ABC and iview on Mondays at 8pm.
