Ex-MasterChef contestant told police she 'only had five glasses of wine' after crash

Victoria Molly Koszegi was was kicked off the latest series of MasterChef and arrested after a drunken car smash in Ponsonby. Photo / TV3

A former Masterchef contestant who crashed her car in Auckland told police she thought she was fine to drive since she "only had five glasses of wine".

Victoria Molly Koszegi, 27, suffered a double blow in August when she was kicked off the latest series of the reality show and arrested after a drunken car smash in Ponsonby.

After initially denying charges of driving with excess blood alcohol and careless driving, she pleaded guilty when the latter count was dropped.

Last week Judge Thorburn accepted defence lawyer Stuart Blake's submission the driving ban should be kept to the minimum mandatory term of six months.

Koszegi was also fined $800 for the indiscretion, with court costs and medical expenses taking the bill over $1000.

In the early hours of August 2, Koszegi was driving her Holden along Williamson Rd, about to turn onto Ponsonby Rd, when she lost control.

She hit the back of a parked car, which then ploughed into another vehicle in front of it, causing considerable damage.

Police arrived on the scene but could not complete a breath-alcohol test because Koszegi had to be taken to Auckland Hospital for assessment.

However, a blood sample was taken by a nurse revealing a she was more than five times over the legal limit.

The defendant returned a reading of 262mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 50mg per 100ml.

Koszegi told police she thought she was fine to drive and had only had five glasses of wine.

The defendant, who has also completed hotel management and culinary courses in Switzerland and Australia, struggled to adapt to the heat in the MasterChef NZ kitchen during her TV debut.

She was axed after a "double mystery-box challenge", making her 13th in the competition, which was eventually won by Auckland physio Tim Read.

"Food's my passion," Koszegi told Josh Emett, one of the show's judges, during a tearful goodbye.

She did not respond to NZME's request for comment.