Chef Heston Blumenthal has made many guest appearances on MasterChef Australia. Photo / Network 10
Chef Heston Blumenthal has made many guest appearances on MasterChef Australia. Photo / Network 10
Warning: This article contains mentions of suicide.
Masterchef Australia star Heston Blumenthal has given a heartbreaking interview regarding his mental health and previous manic episode, which saw his wife section him in hospital.
The 58-year-old English celebrity chef is best known for his pioneering approach tomulti-sensory cooking.
Having created attention-grabbing recipes like bacon and egg ice cream and snail porridge, the chef made his first television appearance in 2002 with the release of Kitchen Chemistry with Heston Blumenthal, a series of six 30-minute episodes that focused on experimenting with food and science.
In the years since, Blumenthal has starred in multiple shows across the United Kingdom, including Heston’s Feasts and How To Cook Like Heston, and guest starred on multiple cooking competition shows, including Masterchef Australia and the French version of Top Chef.
The Michelin-starred chef has always been open about his love for cooking and science, but now he is opening up about another important aspect of his life: his mental health.
Sitting down with the BBC’s The One Show, Blumenthal recalled a period last November when he was experiencing a manic episode full of “extreme highs”, hallucinations and suicidal thoughts.
“I’d vomit ideas...I was so excited. Talking about making stuff. It was true mania,” he said.
Blumenthal said his emotions became so intense at one point, he was an “emotional danger to himself” and began having suicidal thoughts.
“These recurring highs to lows were getting stronger and stronger and more regular,” he said.
“I was on a massive high and had been for several days. I was having hallucinations, feelings of paranoia, and even suicidal thoughts.”
The chef went on to say his mental health put his wife Melanie Ceysson in a difficult situation and left her no choice but to seek professional help and have him sectioned in hospital.
He said for this to happen, he had to be sedated and recalled a policeman, five firemen and a doctor, along with their assistant, showing up at his door.
After receiving an injection, he said the next thing he remembered was waking up in a psychiatric hospital, where he stayed for 20 days.
During his stay, Blumenthal was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, something Mayo Clinic describes as “a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings”.
Heston Blumenthal and his wife Melanie Ceysson at a London theatre event in June, 2024. Photo / Getty Images
The celebrity chef noted he has bipolar one, which means he has experienced at least one manic episode, and said he believes he may have had milder episodes, earlier in his career.
He also believes “a lot of my creativity is thanks to bipolar”.
Revealing why he is speaking out about his diagnosis, the star said, “I’m hoping that talking about it can change the way we see the condition and put it in the spotlight for all the right reasons”.
Bipolar is a lifelong condition but in most cases can be managed by a professionally advised treatment plan. Treatments can include the use of medication and psychotherapy.
