The Worst Is Finally Behind Me

The MasterChef star was forced to put her life on hold as cancer ripped through her family.

- Tiffany Dunk

For years, MasterChef Australia has been Eloise Praino’s dream. Having auditioned for the debut season in 2009, she continued to apply each year in the hope of winning a coveted apron.

But in 2012 that dream was forced to take a back seat as first her father, Lucio, and then, two years later, her mother, Dorina, were diagnosed with cancer.

“Dad had leukaemia and he was really, really sick for a few months,” Eloise, 32, tells Woman’s Day. Luckily, Lucio caught things early and, with the help of doctors, he recovered relatively quickly and has been “in the clear for a couple of years now.”