Monica Galetti taking a break from MasterChef to focus on her family

OHMYGOSSIP — Monica Galetti is taking a break from ‘MasterChef’ to spend time with her family.
The 46-year-old chef – who has appeared on BBC’s ‘MasterChef: The Professionals’ as head judge since 2009 – has announced she is stepping back from the cooking show after more then a decade in order to focus on her family.
Monica, who shares 14-year-old daughter Anais with husband David Galetti, explained in a statement that she had too many commitments and needed to find the right balance to juggle family life with her own business.
She said: “It is with a heavy heart that I’ve made this decision to step back from filming this year’s series.
“My family need me, my restaurant needs me and trying to balance long filming days over the next three months with all these commitments meant that something had to give.
“So, for the moment, my focus has to be 100% about my loved ones and rebuilding my kitchen team who have had a battering over the last few months especially. Those in the hospitality industry know just how tough it is at the moment.
“To my ‘MasterChef’ family, crew and friends, I’m so sorry that I won’t be with you this year but I hope to be back soon.”
She thanked the producers for being “so understanding”, and insisted she will remain the “number one” fan as a viewer, while also giving a shout out to co-stars Marcus Wareing and Gregg Wallace.
She continued: “Thank you to both BBC and Shine TV for being so understanding of my decision but for this year I’ll be your number one supporter from the side lines.
“To my fellow judges and friends Marcus and Gregg – I’ll be watching – you’ve got this! If you’re ever unsure just think – what would Mon do?! See you soon!”
Meanwhile, Sarah Clay, BBC’s Commissioning Editor for Entertainment, added: “Monica is a valued member of the ‘MasterChef’ family, and while we will miss her expertise and invaluable cooking and food knowledge, we fully support her filming break to focus on her family and business.
“We wish her luck and hope to see her back in the ‘MasterChef’ kitchen in the future.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

---