George Calombaris has revealed that he suffered from “PTSD” in the fallout of his wages scandal.
The MasterChef judge, 47, was rocked by controversy in 2017 when it emerged that his company, Made Establishment, had underpaid employees.
Around 515 workers were underpaid over six years, with George taking “full responsibility” at the time and paying back the $7.8million owed in wages, resulting in his firm going bankrupt.
George has detailed his side of the story on I’m A Celebrity Australia, claiming that 49 per cent of workers were underpaid, while the other 51 per cent were overpaid.
The businessman has insisted that they were “upfront and honest” with Fair Work about the issue, but has detailed how it marred his career for many years.
Speaking exclusively to New Idea, George has told how he has a lot of “PTSD” surrounding the time, which saw him turn to binge drinking to cope.
“There’s a lot of PTSD, it’s just natural for a human to feel this way,” he told us.
“I’m a human at the end of the day, I’m not a robot, I’m just the MasterChef judge and all that stuff, I’m George and I love people, I love hospitality and I love creating great stuff.”
Addressing why he decided to tell his story on IAC now, George said he wanted to talk “honestly” about what he’s been through, and joked that he was fed up with Network 10 repeatedly asking him to sign up for the show.
“Unfortunately we live in a world of headlines, it is what it is, I chose to be on TV, I’m not looking for pity or for anyone to feel sorry for me,” he said.
“But it’s just nice to have a platform to be able to talk honestly, and so much more will be revealed.”
Looking ahead, George wants to move on and have a fresh start after the difficulties, putting the trying few years behind him once and for all.
“I don’t know if I want to say – it’s not about relief, because in your heart of hearts, I’m at a point in my life at 47, the people that matter that are around me – there’s my family, my team members that are still with me as we go hard again with incredible hospitality venues,” he explained.
“But there’s also a sense where you go ‘OK, it’s done now, we can put a line in the sand and move on from it’.”
Despite dealing with some “incredible” highs and lows, George has no plans to slow down and wants to show that you can “rebound” after such difficulties in the industry.
“We will do a George Calombaris restaurant again, I’m ready for it again, I’m inspired again,” he promised.
“I know I’ve got so much more to give, I’m 47, I look at is as I’m halfway, and I’m about to kick off the second half of this incredible life that’s been gifted to us. You’ve got to live it to the fullest because it can come and go very quickly.
“Especially at my age, and especially knowing a lot of incredible chefs that have taken their lives, I want to talk about that stuff and show that you can rebound, you can get through and create incredible stuff for people to enjoy.”
George admitted it wasn’t easy talking about the wages scandal publicly for the first time, admitting being “vulnerable” was the hardest part of appearing on IAC – more so than the dreaded eating trials!
“The toughest bit was when you’re sitting there, and your vulnerability starts to come out of you; it’s tough,” he confessed.
“Obviously, my family I’ve opened up to, but I’ve never opened up to Australia like that before. I’m not one to go and do sit-down interviews. As much as you go, there’s going to be a certain amount of honesty and openness [on IAC], but the way it’s done in the situation, when you’re a bit sleep deprived, food deprived, and removed of all of your shields, you’re suddenly sitting there, open, honest and raw, it’s pretty insane.
“To do that and go through that, is something I’ve never gone through before.”
And his campmates weren’t without their preconceptions, with Luke Bateman voicing that he had thought George was a “rich guy” who hadn’t paid his staff “properly” before meeting him on IAC, with the pair now being “the best of mates”.
George also made a telling comment about where he stands with his campmates, cryptically saying he tried to find the “best” in everyone, potentially hinting at some behind-the-scenes tensions.
“Luke, Dyson, Concetta, Nath, love them dearly. Gary, he’s a legend. To be honest, I look at people and try to find the best in them and try, and create a great environment,” he said.
Of how he dealt with the rows in the jungle, George said he always tried to make the best out of the situation, but teased that some “juicy” moments haven’t made it to air yet.
George’s casting on IAC marked his major return to Network 10 after he left MasterChef in 2019 with his co-stars, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan, when contract negotiations broke down with the channel – but he’s proved there is no bad blood.
“There’s a lot of fond memories. My life has been an absolutely chaotic and wonderful one, full of incredible highs and incredible lows and everything in between,” he said.
“I’m grateful for 10 and giving me the opportunity to do what I’ve done – cook and talk about something I love, food. They are still very supportive of me.”
As for reuniting with Matt and Gary on screen? He’s not ruling anything out!
“We’re still great mates, and there are a lot of opportunities that are coming our way, especially at the moment, so watch this space,” he teased.
