Mystery surrounds MasterChef: Back to Win contestant Ben Ungermann after he left the show early due to “personal reasons” related to a “police matter”.
WATCH: Ben breaks down in tears after making the top three on MasterChef
The father-of-three is still appearing on screen on the show at the moment, but will depart in coming weeks.
Production company Endemol Shine has confirmed the Ipswich man was involved in a police matter of a “personal nature” but refused to comment further than a brief statement, reports The Daily Telegraph.
“We can confirm Ben Ungermann has left the MasterChef Australia competition,” they said.
“As this is a police matter, we will not be making further comment.”
According to The Daily Telegraph, Ben left production about three months ago, when production had only just started. At that time, contestants were only told that he had left “for personal reasons”.
Sources close to Ungermann said he was disappointed with how the issue has been managed.
He made a comment on Instagram advising his fans: “Don’t believe everything you read guys”. He also thanked fans for their support on social media.
Ben placed runner-up on season nine of MasterChef.
According to his bio on the official MasterChef page, Ben is dubbed the ‘Ice Cream King’ by fans, he launched Ungermann Brothers, an ice cream parlour alongside his brother Danny in Ipswich in 2018.
The business opened a second parlour on the Gold Coast late last year.