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MasterChef’s Adam Liaw: ‘Almost All Of My Work For Next Six Months Is Cancelled’

The reality star highlighted the impact that COVID-19 has had on many jobs in hospital, travel and entertainment.

As many Australians face the prospect of losing their jobs amid the COVID-19 crisis, former MasterChef winner Adam Liaw has proved celebrity chefs are not exempt.

The 41-year-old, who regularly does cooking demonstrations, speaking appearances and collaborations with food brands and travel companies, admitted almost all of the next six months of work opportunities have dried up.

“I think certainly my work kind of straddles the travel, food and arts industry – so I would say the three worst affected industries from all of this,” Adam told HuffPost Australia.

“Certainly there’s a lot of people in all of those industries that are doing it very tough at the moment. So I’ve obviously got a bit more time on my hands then, as we all do, to sit at home.”

Former MasterChef winner Adam Liaw pictured at the opening night of War House at Lyric Theatre, Star City on February 18, 2020 in Sydney, Australia.
Don Arnold via Getty Images
Former MasterChef winner Adam Liaw pictured at the opening night of War House at Lyric Theatre, Star City on February 18, 2020 in Sydney, Australia.

Having said that, the father-of-three has a six-month-old baby that will keep him somewhat busy, while he promised there’s still a few projects “that I’m looking forward to getting my teeth into”.

With travel bans and mass gathering restrictions put into place, the tourism, hospitality and entertainment industries have certainly been impacted by the surge of coronavirus cases in Australia.

This week the government announced tough new restrictions on non-essential indoor gatherings of 100 or more in pubs, clubs and restaurants and a “Level Four” ban on overseas travel to every country in the world.

On Friday Prime Minister Scott Morrison said venues that host less than 100 people must provide four square metres of space per person in an enclosed area.

The PM also said fines will apply to those who don’t self-isolate for 14 days after returning from overseas. All Australians have also been advised to practice social distancing.

“Look, I think for a lot of people this is a very stressful time and you know I’m a father, I’m also a son, and I’m trying to look after my family,” said Adam.

“I’m also worried about my parents who are elderly,” he added, his father being a working doctor in his 70s. “Obviously this looks like a virus and a disease that is more dangerous for them than it might be for younger people. So it can be a bit overwhelming.

“I just really hope people can look after themselves, not just in terms of not contracting the virus but also in terms of their mental help and making sure that they are managing the stress that this is bringing on to everyone as well as looking after their physical health as well.”

Australia’s entertainment industry has only recently been hit by the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak. Just a month ago Adam filmed the grand finale of SBS show, Celebrity Mastermind.

The final airing on Saturday night will feature Adam competing against comedian Tom Ballard, author Adam Spencer and satirist Mark Humphries.

“Yeah, it’s fairly competitive but we’re all good friends,” Adam said of the dynamic between him and his fellow finalists.

The Celebrity Mastermind Grand Final airs 7:30pm Saturday night on SBS.

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