17 Facts About Manu Feildel

Emmanuel Feildel was born on 26 March 1974 and is a French-Australian chef, restaurateur and television presenter trained in England, who is best known as one of the judges of the competitive television cooking show My Kitchen Rules.

In spite of a history of professional chefs in his family, including his father and a grandfather, Manu Feildel decided to join a circus school at age 13 and learnt juggling, unicycling, clowning and some acrobatics.

Manu Feildel stayed for three years and then decided that cooking was his first love and moved to London where he studied at the Cafe Royal restaurant.

Manu Feildel then worked at Les Associes, the Cafe des Amis du Vin and popular seafood restaurant Livebait.

Manu Feildel began appearing on Ready Steady Cook in 2006 and on MasterChef Australia in 2009 and has co-hosted My Kitchen Rules since 2010.

However, the restaurant closed in March 2014, with Manu Feildel citing a "nightmare year" with too much happening including his My Kitchen Rules commitments and increased competition that had hurt his business, meaning he could no longer afford to stay open.

Manu Feildel was nominated for the Most Popular New Male Talent at the Logie Awards of 2011.

Manu Feildel hosted the reality dating series Dinner Date in 2011.

Manu Feildel appears in the 2018 film The BBQ as French chef, Andre Mont Blanc.

In March 2013, Manu Feildel trekked the Kokoda Track to raise money for CanTeen, the Australian organisation for young people living with cancer.

Manu Feildel is an ambassador for Camp Quality, a children's family cancer charity whose motto is "laughter is the best medicine".

In 2019, Manu Feildel took part in the ANZUP Cancer Trials Group's Rude Food campaign.

Manu Feildel prepared a selection of "rude" looking dishes to raise awareness for "below the belt" cancers.

In 2020, Manu Feildel joined ANZUP Cancer Trials Group as a Below the Belt Ambassador.

In 2021, Manu Feildel participated in Dancing with the Stars on Seven Network.

Manu Feildel announced at the beginning of the season that his nominated charity was ANZUP Cancer Trials Group.

Manu Feildel became engaged to Pattaya go-go bar manager Clarissa Weerasena in November 2013, and they married in January 2018.