Father and son duo Mick and Matt Newell were My Kitchen Rules favourites in 2013. Source: News Limited
MATT Newell, the Hobart youngster who tackled My Kitchen Rules last year with his Dad Mick has come out and announced he has found love.
Undeniably one of the favourite duos on the Channel Seven cooking show, both Mick and Matt have landed radio gigs in Hobart, and now Matt has opened up about his sexuality to Woman’s Day.
Newell, now 22, says he came out to his friends and family seven months ago after wrapping up his TV commitments on the show and says he’s happier than ever.
Mick and Matt Newell in 2013. Source: News Corp Australia
Matt Newell is now a radio presenter with Sea FM in Hobart. Source: News Corp Australia
“I was extremely nervous,” he told the mag of telling his nearest and dearest. “But once I knew I was gay, I didn’t want to hide it. I wouldn’t want to look back in five or 10 years and think that life might have been so much better if only I was true to myself and open about it.
While he is extremely close to his son, his Dad Mick said he was taken aback by the news, admitting it “felt like being hit with a sledgehammer”.
“When I was on my own in the car, it really hit me. I couldn’t stop crying for a good ten minutes,” he said.
Matt and Mick Newell. Source: News Limited
“But I had to think about how Matt was feeling. Sexuality does not define a person. He is an amazing kid and a decent, honest person, who I am proud of.”
Matt is now planning to move in with his boyfriend Jackson Tegg, 24, who he met through a friend in April this year.
“I had that starry-eyed moment,” he says of meeting Jackson. “But it took a few weeks of getting to know each other to really feel the love that I feel now.
“He’s moving in with me as of next week and everything is telling me he’s The One for me.”
