MasterChef winner Julie Goodwin reveals how she spent weeks in a mental health unit

Former MasterChef winner Julie Goodwin has bravely revealed she was absent from her radio show for the past five weeks because she was staying in a mental health unit. 

Ms Goodwin wrote a detailed note to listeners of her ‘Rabbit and Julie Goodwin’ morning radio show on Friday in which she acknowledged going off the radar from her show and also many of her personal commitments. 

‘Disappearing like this has created difficulty for a lot of people. I have essentially disappeared from my scheduled life, failed to meet my obligations, and I owe an explanation,’ Ms Goodwin wrote on the letter posted to her Facebook page. 

The 49-year-old revealed she has struggled with depression and anxiety ‘on-and-off’ for many years saying she put a lot of effort into making sure it was not obvious to the people around her. 

‘I have never been one of those brave people who can lay these things out in the open for others to look at and comment on,’ she wrote. 

‘But this time around the happy façade didn’t just slip a little bit, it fell off and smashed. And I find myself thinking, stuff privacy. Let’s talk.’ 

She explained that when she started her ‘Julie’s Place’ cooking school four years ago alongside taking up a breakfast radio show her schedule became packed and she fought hard to stay on top of it. 

‘I have changed my sleep and social habits, I have exercised and been to see counsellors and hypnotherapists, I have done my level best to keep on juggling and keep all those balls up in the air.’ 

The mother-of-three said six months ago she decided to acknowledge that her mental health was not great and she was professionally diagnosed with depression and anxiety and put on medication. 

At the end of 2019 Ms Goodwin said she would resign from her Star radio show as of Easter in an attempt to rework her priorities. 

The former MasterChef winner said around Christmas 2019 a ‘whole list of things went wrong’ and she ‘didn’t have the resources to deal with any of it.’ 

She wrote that her depression and anxiety spiraled out of control, she was feeling sick to her stomach, her mouth and nose were covered in stress ulcers, and she couldn’t stop shaking. 

‘Anxiety kept coursing through me like electricity. I felt like I was trapped under a wet woollen blanket and every move was a massive effort.’ 

The 49-year-old revealed she has struggled with depression and anxiety ‘on-and-off’ for many years saying she put a lot of effort into making sure it was not obvious to others 

‘My beautiful husband Mick, the person who loves me most, recognised the crisis I was in and took me to the emergency room.’

‘I was referred to what’s known as the acute care team, who referred me to a psychiatrist, who recommended inpatient care in a mental health unit. And that’s where I am, and have been for more than five weeks now.’ 

While she describes the experience as a shock she says she has learned valuable lessons and getting much needed help. 

‘Be as kind to yourself as you try to be to others,’ she says. 

‘If you’re struggling, ask for help. Do it before you can no longer hear the logical voices, the clear and good voices. Do it before it’s too hard to see a way forward. If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for the ones who love you the most.’ 

Fans have rallied behind Goodwin and shown their support for her candid post. 

‘Look after yourself Julie and hopefully we will see your face and listen to your voice on some medium in the near future,’ wrote on person. 

Goodwin was thrust into fame after winning the first season of Masterchef in 2009. 

She has released multiple cookbooks, and appeared on ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.’ 

She was given a $600 fine and a six-month licence suspension after she was caught drink driving in 2018. 

For confidential support in Australia contact LIFELINE on 13 11 14 and lifeline.org.au, or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.