MasterChef Australia judge Poh Ling Yeow has spoken out in defence of Meghan Markle, describing the Duchess of Sussex as "a model citizen" and dismissing reports of tension on set as "ridiculous".
Meghan made a guest appearance on the hit cooking show, joining the judges and contestants to guide them in "making a dish fit for a Duchess". Reports had claimed Meghan was unhappy after Poh used her royal title, despite her team allegedly requesting her royal link not be mentioned. Poh was said to have been left "upset" and desperate to apologise.
'We had such a lovely time with her'
Speaking on Nova's Nathan, Nat and Shaun, Poh shut down the rumours, saying: "We had such a lovely time with her. She was a model citizen. Like, honestly, no fuss, hung out with us, didn't scurry away into her green room, … just completely engaged with the whole process and like, knows her food. Nothing to complain about, at all!"
She added: "It's ridiculous. It's the first time anything like that has happened to me. It's been very eye-opening for me to see what she cops every day. It's really full on."
Body language expert weighs in
Body language expert Judi James analysed Poh's demeanour during the interview, noting "signals of anger and disgust from Poh's facial expressions" as she listened to the allegations. James observed that Poh's body remained still and diminished, but her facial expressions were "mobile and emphatic", with a frown and questioning eyes as she refuted the claims.
James highlighted Poh's emphatic head baton on the words "at all" and noted that her comment about Meghan not scurrying away was "a statement of fact rather than just feelings or opinions", adding weight to her defence.
