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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Lifestyle
Conor Curran, as told to Doosie Morris

The moment I knew: As a reality TV contestant, I was allowed one 15-minute call a week. Even at 3am, Chris would always pick up

Illustration of a photo of the couple coming out of an envelope
Chris and Conor: ‘In the final week of the competition … I wrote to Chris, and all my feelings came flooding out.’ Composite: Guardian design/Getty Images

At 29 I had lost my career in hospitality because of Covid and decided to throw my hat in the ring as a contestant on MasterChef Australia. By the time I was eliminated in 2021, restaurants still weren’t open and I didn’t know what to do with my life. My lease was coming to an end in Melbourne and I wasn’t doing well with the lockdowns and people recognising me from TV. So I decided to retreat to my father’s place in Adelaide for a while.

By early 2022 I was dating a guy but, after a few months, he ghosted me suddenly.

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