Fan favourite MasterChef contestant Brent Draper and his wife Shonleigh love to share insights into their family life with their two sons Alfie and Bowie.
WATCH: MasterChef contestant Brent Draper reveals he is expecting his second child.
The family of four travelled to Japan in early April 2024… the 2023 Masterchef winner shared some cute photographs on Instagram, reminiscing their trip.
“Well, Japan was out of this world! The food the people and everything in between,” he wrote.
“We had it all, Alfie had a 24-hour bug and Bowie got a middle ear infection. Japan is one hectic place to take kids so I think the next trip will be just the wife and I!”
Baby Bowie is a relatively new addition to the family. He was delivered in an “incredible” homebirth with two endorsed midwives on hand to make sure everyone was happy and healthy, on November 19, 2023.
“He’s amazing. We’re so happy,” Brent shared with our sister publication Woman’s Day shortly after Bowie was born.
“He’s the calmest, happiest baby. He’s very content and very calm,” wife Shonleigh added.
Brent first announced that his family would be growing from a family of three to a family of four in June 2023 with a sweet video of him and Shonleigh telling their five-year-old son Alfie that he would soon be a big brother.
“We’ve got some news to tell you,” Brent tells Alfie in the video. “Guess what? Mummy’s having a baby!”
But despite intending the news as a surprise, it seems that young Alfie had already clued in, hilariously telling his dad “I know that.”
The exchange then continued as Alfie started guessing on the gender of his yet-to-be-born sibling, eventually settling on a boy because he had always wanted a brother.
“I love you,” Alfie whispered into his beloved mum’s belly at the end of the video, speaking to his new sibling.
The heartwarming video was accompanied by an equally wholesome caption, Brent writing the following: “Excited to share the next project we’ve been working on with you.”
“Baby Draper 2.0 coming soon!”
Whilst the entire family was over the moon about finally meeting Bowie, none were quite as ecstatic as older brother Alfie.
“He’s just in a love bubble,” Shonleigh also shared with the publication of their five-year-old.
“We originally thought he’s going to think here’s this kid coming into our life and taking all the attention away from me, but he’s been the opposite. He’s obsessed with him – he kisses him on the head, he’s getting bottles.”
“He just keeps telling us, ‘Mum, I can’t believe I’m a big brother.”
Brent previously competed in season 13 of the hit reality cooking competition, before returning to win the 2023 season, but withdrew to focus on his mental health.
“Going home, I just needed to find ground level, I’m so much stronger mentally, physically. I’m back for myself, I’m back for all the people who reached out to me on social media and told me their stories,” Brent told the judges and Australia as he reentered the MasterChef kitchen for round two.
“My outlook on life now is totally different, I’m a different person. I’m just so passionate about men’s mental health. Why are we as males not breaking the stigma around it? You are allowed to be vulnerable, it’s not about the stumble or where you were, it’s about the comeback and the person you are after that.”
Whilst Brent said there was plenty to celebrate during that time, he dearly missed his friend and mentor Jock Zonfrillo, who passed away in April 2023.
“It’s tough, I always catch myself thinking of him. He’s a big part of my life and a major part of why I changed careers – he’s a big part of my journey,” Brent reflected.
“But he’d be proud. I do a lot of things for my mental health, and the first person there for donations and support was always Jock. So he’d be very proud of the way I just keep pushing that and becoming a dad again.”
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