Trigger Warning: This article discusses mental health and may be triggering for some readers.
Julie Goodwin might be best known for MasterChef Australia, but off-screen, she is a doting mother and grandmother.
And she got nostalgic as her eldest son, Joe, celebrated his milestone 30th birthday on December 1.
Taking to social media to pay tribute to her firstborn, the beloved Australian cook, author and TV personality reflected on welcoming the newborn into the world all those years ago.
“There’s nothing gentle about the love you feel for your newborn,” she began her post, which accompanied a video montage of photos from Joe’s childhood through to now.
“Thirty years ago I took a torpedo to the heart when Joe made his dramatic entrance to the world.
“He has been making a positive impact on everyone he meets ever since. Curious and open-hearted, political with a fierce sense of justice, unfailingly kind, outrageously funny, dedicated, intelligent, loyal. My little baby. My gentle giant.
“I love you with all the force a mother’s heart can muster. Which is to say, a lot,” she concluded the post. “Happy 30th birthday Joey, my love 💜.”
The celebration comes after Julie, 55, shared with The Australian Women’s Weekly that this Christmas would look a little different for the Goodwin family.
For the first time, there will be a notable absence from the dinner table, with youngest son Paddy unable to join them.
“He’s on the trip of a lifetime, a European journey, with his long-time girlfriend and brand-new fiancée,” Julie told the publication of the couple’s six-month, 26-country expedition.
“Brooke’s a beautiful girl, and they are beautiful together. And thank God for technology, because we’re with them on that trip,” she added.
After becoming the very first winner on the inaugural season of MasterChef Australia to making her debut on Dancing with the Stars, Julie Goodwin is clearly a woman of many talents.
On top of her widespread career as a cook, author, and radio and television presenter, Julie is also a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, and it’s her family that keeps her going through it all.
Who is Julie Goodwin’s husband?
Julie met her husband, Michael Goodwin, in January 1989, in the weeks between high school ending and university beginning. Julie, who was just 18 at the time, joined her friend Chris at a new youth group he was attending, and that’s where she met Michael, who stood at 6.7 feet tall.
The two later married in 1995 and started their family together, raising three (very tall) sons: Joe, 30, Tom, 29, and Paddy, 27.
While she tends to keep their lives out of the spotlight, she loves to share rare insights into her life as a mother and a grandmother.
Who are Julie Goodwin’s children and grandchildren?
In July 2024, Julie shared a photo on Instagram of her NSW South Coast vacation with her husband, Michael, their three sons, and her three-year-old granddaughter Delilah. “Family holiday!” she captioned the post.
“Once your kids are all grown up it’s near impossible for them to all get time off at once.
“That’s why this week has been so precious; just hanging out, playing games, going for walks and of course lots of meals together. Delilah looked happier for the whole rest of the holiday than she does in this photo 😂.”
In a recent interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Julie described her sons as “kind-hearted, hilarious and good people… who are open-minded and kind and aware of humanitarian and social-justice issues” and revealed that her sons give her “hope for this generation of young men.”
However, Delilah, who is the daughter of Tom, holds a very special place in Julie’s heart as well.
Before coming in as one of the 24 contestants on MasterChef: Fans & Favourites in 2022, Julie admitted it was something she wasn’t so sure she’d do, revealing to The Australian Women’s Weekly that she “wasn’t in the best place” at the time.
The celebrity chef shed light on some tough times that had her hesitating, and how it was her granddaughter that helped push her through.
“In the midst of that really awful time I had decided that I was done,” Julie said, referring to a mental health breakdown that saw her admitted to hospital.
“I had nothing left to do, my work here was done. That’s where I found myself. That landed me in hospital a bunch of times.”
She added that Delilah was a massive part of what helped her realise that her life here is not done.
“She’s a tiny little human who I want to be around for. But you know, I can’t live my whole life for her. And I’ve just got to work out what the rest of it is for,” she told the publication.
It’s clear to see just how important being a grandmother has been to her, however, she also revealed that her favourite part of being a grandmother is watching her husband Michael be a grandfather.
Along with Tom, Julie and Michael share sons Joe and Paddy, and Julie has previously confessed her eagerness for more family additions.
“I do hope I get more grandkids,” she told Woman’s Day in November 2021. “But Delilah’s such an enormous blessing, that if she’s the only grandchild I ever have, that will be what it is.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is always available. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit their website.
