Back in 2013, Dan and Steph Mulheron were on top of the world – they had just won Season 4 of My Kitchen Rules, and little did they know that was the moment that changed their lives forever.
Watch: Dan and Steph Mulheron make epic comeback on MKR: The Rivals
After having gone through multiple unsuccessful in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) attempts and having spent thousands of dollars of their own money, Dan, 39, and Steph, 38, used their $250,000 prize money to continue pursuing their dream of having a child.
And, in 2015, their dream of having a family came true when they welcomed their daughter, Emmy Mae.
Now the couple are back competing again on MKR: The Rivals in the hope that they can not only prove how far their cooking skills have come, but hopefully take out the prize again and put it towards undergoing another round of IVF to give Emmy a little brother or sister.
“We would love to go down the IVF route again later this year,” Steph tells New Idea.
“We will definitely put some money towards that, if we win. But we would also love to take Emmy on a special holiday before we try to have a baby.”
Of course, the couple know that undergoing IVF again may not be an easy route.
“We aren’t going to put too much pressure on ourselves because we are nearly 40,” Steph says. “We are going to give it one more cycle and if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”
If their dream for a second child comes true, Steph knows that Emmy will make a great sister – although she already has a preference on the gender of the baby.
“Every time you ask her about it, she says, ‘no Mummy, I just want a sister, not a brother,’” Steph laughs. “She has already picked a name out and everything. But she would be the most amazing big sister. There would be five or six years between them, so that would be a big help.”
Before they can start on expanding their family, Dan and Steph still have to face the competition in MKR: The Rivals. But, having been past winners, and owning their own cafe, EAT @ Dan & Steph’s in Queensland, Steph admits that they are feeling the heat.
“The fact that we were the only winners coming back this season, that’s a lot of pressure on us,” she says. “We wanted to show people that it wasn’t just a fluke when we won and we want to show people who we are now and how far we have come.”
While they hope to take home the prize again, Steph admits she and Dan are worried about the return of their former Season 4 competitors Jake and Elle – who the couple only just beat in the grand-final to be named the MKR winners.
“As soon as we got asked to come back, we thought, ‘I bet Jake and Elle are back too’,” Steph says.
“They’re one team we didn’t want to come back, ’cause they are a threat to us. They are in the industry and know good food! But we have so much respect for them … and such a good friendship.”
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