‘Heartbreaking farewell’: Colin Fassnidge’s unexpected bombshell leaves beloved chef stumbling
After more than a decade as one of the most recognisable faces on My Kitchen Rules, Colin Fassnidge has begun looking at what may come after the cameras eventually stop rolling.
The Irish-born chef has spent 13 years building a place for himself on the hit cooking show, first joining as a guest judge in 2013 before becoming one of its central personalities.
But in a recent conversation about the years ahead, Colin revealed that his thoughts are beginning to stretch far beyond television.
And as he spoke about what he wants from the next chapter, one deeply personal reason emerged.
Colin knows every television chapter eventually changes
Speaking on The Dom Harvey Podcast alongside longtime friend and fellow MKR judge Manu Feildel, Colin reflected on the reality of building a life around television.
Neither chef appears to be under any illusion that MKR — or their careers in reality television — can continue forever.
For Colin, that perspective has become increasingly important.
He suggested that becoming too consumed by the television world can make the transition difficult when that chapter eventually ends.
Instead, he believes having people around you who keep things grounded matters enormously.
It was a surprisingly candid admission from someone who has spent so many years in front of the cameras.
His journey with MKR began 13 years ago
Colin first joined My Kitchen Rules as a guest judge in 2013.
At the time, his relationship with Manu was very different from the friendship viewers know today.
The pair have since admitted there was once significant tension between them, with Colin later acknowledging that ego played a part in the early rivalry.
Over time, however, working together changed everything.
Colin apologised, the pair became close friends, and their partnership eventually became one of the show’s most familiar dynamics.
More than a decade later, Colin remains closely associated with MKR — but he is also realistic enough to know that no television role lasts indefinitely.
Thoughts about what comes next are becoming more personal
When the discussion turned to where Colin imagined himself in another 10 years, his answer moved away from television entirely.
Rather than talking about another show or another professional goal, Colin revealed he has considered buying a home in Ireland.
His idea would be to divide his time between the country where he grew up and the Australia he now calls home.
It remains something he describes more as a dream than a fixed plan.
But the reason behind it gave the conversation a completely different emotional weight.
Ireland is calling him back
Colin admitted that although Sydney and Australia remain home, he increasingly misses Ireland.
Returning there appears to reconnect him with something television and career success cannot replace — his roots.
He has imagined spending around six months of each year in Ireland and the other six months in Australia.
For someone whose adult life and career have been built here, it would represent a significant change.
Yet Colin’s explanation made clear that the idea is about much more than simply wanting a quieter lifestyle.
One family reality has changed the way he looks ahead
Colin revealed that his mother is approaching her 80th birthday, while his father is living with dementia.
Those circumstances appear to have made the pull of Ireland feel increasingly significant.
Suddenly, the possibility of spending more time there is not simply about nostalgia.
It is about time.
After years of restaurants, television sets, judging tables and constant travel, Colin appears increasingly aware that some chapters cannot be revisited whenever we choose.
And that may be why the thought of home now carries more weight than it once did.
MKR is not disappearing just yet
Despite Colin and Manu openly discussing life beyond television, MKR itself is continuing.
Channel Seven confirmed on October 22 that the series will return in 2027, and Colin and Manu are both expected to return, although their involvement had not yet been formally detailed at the time of the announcement.
So Colin is not announcing an immediate departure from the program.
Instead, his comments offer something more reflective: an acknowledgement that after 13 years with MKR, there will eventually be another chapter.
And when that day arrives, Colin seems to know where part of his heart may be pulling him.
For now, Australia remains home.
But with family, memories and his Irish roots waiting on the other side of the world, the meaning of “home” appears to be changing — and perhaps becoming more important than ever before.
Source: New Idea, October 20 and October 22, 2026; The Dom Harvey Podcast.