A contestant on MasterChef has been eliminated after speaking about his daughter’s type 1 diabetes diagnosis, with some viewers saying that he potentially spread ‘misinformation’ about the condition.
John Torode (a Bristol-based painter and decorator) received high praise for his sugarless tart in an earlier episode.
John told his son that the dessert had artificially been sweetened. His daughter was a type I diabetic, so he didn’t want to use any sugar.
John was visibly moved, and he cried in front of TV hosts before expressing to cameras just how important it is to him.
Several viewers have pointed out, however, that type 1 diabetes does not mean people must cut out sugar from their diets. Diabetes UK stating on its website: ‘You don’t need to cut out sugar from your diet if you have diabetes. While we do not know what exactly causes type 1 diabetics, it’s certainly not linked to lifestyle. Sugar is thereforen’t the cause.
During the episode of MasterChef when his chocolate tart was being assessed, John said of his daughter: ‘She’s missing out on school dinners, desserts. She misses out on the icecream when everyone else has one. When we have a barbecue, all the kids get a lolly, she misses out on all of the…’, before breaking down in tears.
John was emotional talking about his daughter's diabetes, after showcasing a wonderful sugar-free tart 💗💗💗
See more #MasterChefUK on @bbciplayer 👉 https://t.co/INSLCcJcnF pic.twitter.com/0OtvmjhHdq— MasterChef UK 🍴 (@MasterChefUK) May 8, 2023
Judge John told him: ‘What you’re trying to do is to give her what you want to give her, and that’s great. You’re doing a great job.
The contestant later said: ‘I promised I wouldn’t cry. I just couldn’t stop myself. The emotion just came over me. It’s just too overwhelming. It’s just… it means so much, that’s why.’
During the most recent episode of the show, John admitted that he felt ‘a bit deflated’ that his time on MasterChef had come to an end, saying: ‘It’s like a big bubble being popped.’
He then added: ‘I got to showcase plenty of my sugar-free desserts which is gold dust to me. The kids are going to be proud, which is the most important thing.
In response to John’s remarks about his sugar-free tart, one MasterChef viewer wrote on Twitter: ‘Thing is though, people with type one diabetes can have sweet things – as long as their blood sugars are managed with insulin. There’s no need to give up anything.
One individual said: ‘Someone needs to tell that bloke that he doesn’t have to deny his daughter ice cream & sweets. My T1 daughter eats everything her friends do. It’s okay as long she takes the right insulin. It’s some of the most misleading diabetes information I’ve ever seen on television.
Another commented: ‘My type 1 daughter just sent this. Yum yum. Honestly such bad editing from the beeb,’ while someone else said: ‘Lovely looking tart and a great alternative, but I’m fuming with the misinformation! The only thing diabetics have to do is bolus. Everyone watching this will now believe that they can’t.
Some people defended John and praised him for caring about his daughter.
One Twitter user pointed out that the editing of MasterChef might have ‘unintentionally’ cut out ‘some nuance of what he was saying’.
‘I find it likely that what he was saying is that because they chose low carb as a management tool for their daughter, typical sweets aren’t part of her life,’ they speculated.
Another wrote: ‘He didn’t deny his daughter sweets. He gave his daughter a sweet that doesn’t take an industrial dose of insulin and then have to deal with potential roller coaster numbers after. That’s really great of him.’
MasterChef will return tomorrow night at 8pm, on BBC One or BBC iPlayer.
Source My Celebrity Life.
