Channel Seven
We aren’t even halfway through the current season of My Kitchen Rules, and Manu Feildel has already revealed his plans to retire.
The 52-year-old chef and judge made the surprising confession on The Dom Harvey Podcast when asked where he hoped to be in 10 years.
“I want to be semi-retired, if not retired completely, to be honest with you,” the Frenchman shared.
“I’ve been working since I was 15; it’s nearly 40 years of my life working. I’ve loved every minute of it, but I’m exhausted, and I would like to slow down.”
“I’d like to discover the world, I’d like to travel with my wife and go eat food from everywhere, and that’s my plan.”
Earlier in the interview, Dom asked him and MKR host Colin Fassnidge what they would and wouldn’t miss if the cooking show was taken off air, or if either of them were “cancelled”.
“I’ve been personally been working behind… making sure I’ve got things going on after the TV stuff because we know it’s going to stop one day,” Manu explained, adding he had other assets to fall back on if needed.
“It isn’t going to be forever, so I’ve got other businesses that will keep my family alive for a little bit longer, I suppose.”
Colin explained that they have both spoken about life after reality TV, saying they knew “the writing will be on the wall soon”.
“That’s the problem. If you drink the Kool-Aid and buy into this little world too much, and then it stops, you’ve got nothing left,” the 52-year-old said. “You’ve got to have a head or family that’s telling you it’s not going to last forever.”
As for Colin’s dreams in 10 years time, he said he’s considered buying a home in Ireland, and spending six months there, and the other half of the year in Australia.
“I don’t know. It’s a bit of a pipe dream that. I miss home now. Australia’s my home, I love Sydney, but sometimes I go back and I’m like, ‘You know, it’s your roots’,” he confessed, adding his mother is turning 80 in November, and his father lives with dementia.
