Della Muscat and Tyson Murr may have been on separate teams during last season’s My Kitchen Rules, but it appears their culinary delights were not the only thing heating up in the kitchen.
Secretly starting an intimate affair during filming of the hit cooking show, New Idea can exclusively reveal that, despite having long-term partners, the reality TV stars fell in love with one another.
Having ended their previous relationships shortly after their passionate fling began, the unlikely duo are still dating more than a year on – with mother-of-one Della recently relocating to Brisbane to be closer to her beau.
‘It’s been a roller-coaster of emotions for both of them,’ spills a friend. ‘Della especially had a hard time with her feelings, because not only was she married, she also had a small child to think about. But they knew what they had was real and wanted to have a chance at true happiness.’
While the happy couple are trying to look towards a future together, they have struggled to be open with their love and are still living in the shadows of their past mistakes.
Locked in a bitter feud with her ex, Chris Whearty, Della has confessed to pals that he has been unable to move on despite starting a new relationship with Bachelor reject Cobie Frost.
According to the insider, Chris and Cobie have threatened to expose the sordid betrayal at any given moment, making Della and Tyson’s lives hell.
‘Initially, they agreed to keep their private lives private and just confirm the split, but since Cobie came along, he says he is going to expose their affair and turn people against them,’ the friend reveals.
‘He has kept all the emails and texts to prove what really happened. It’s stressful, it was over a year ago now and she has had enough of the mind games.’
Sparks began to fly between the curvaceous brunette and the former Uber driver during the cruise ship challenge segments filmed late in 2016, where viewers saw contestants compete in a sudden death cook-off. After the cameras stopped rolling, the pair enjoyed the after-party ‘flirting outrageously’, with one thing leading to another.
‘It was pretty obvious they liked each other,’ our well- placed spy confirms. ‘But Della was married and Tyson had a partner of six years, so when they slipped off together, it was pretty shocking to everyone else.’
It was after returning home that Della came to the dreaded realisation her marriage was over, and confessed all to Chris.
‘She didn’t regret the affair, but she was sorry people got hurt. Their relationship had been toxic for a while and they were living more like housemates than husband and wife,’ the friend says.
‘The passion had gone and so had her happiness, and even though she considered trying again, she knew she wanted to be with Tyson.’
While they could be classed as an unusual match after Tyson was dubbed the ‘angry man’, often receiving backlash for his provocative comments, he is said to be smitten with his vivacious girlfriend – with friends saying the pair are perfect together.
‘He is head over heels in love with her,’ confesses the friend. ‘Tyson wasn’t really being himself on TV, he was nervous with the cameras and almost became a different person. Him and Della are actually really well suited. They obviously share a passion for food and enjoy a nice, quiet life hanging at home.’
And despite winning the grand final and the sum of $250,000, he is still determined to make a go of the career he is passionate about, now working as an apprentice chef at the Hotel WestEnd in Brisbane.
Then last year, as luck would have it, Della was also offered a dream job in the same city, relocating close by.
‘They just want to move on and hope everyone can behave like adults,’ says the source.
‘It’s horrible living with the worry that all your texts and emails are going to be released, just so your ex can get revenge.
For the full story see this weeks issue of New Idea – out now!
