‘My Kitchen Rules’ Controversy: Ex-Wife Claims Adam Is A Deadbeat Dad Who Knew Judge Pete Evans Prior To Show’s Start [VIDEOS]
“My Kitchen Rules” contestant Adam Andersen is a dead beat dad, according to his ex-wife. Cindy Andersen told Nine Network’s “A Current Affair” that the former pro tennis player, who is competing in the Channel Seven show with his new wife Carol Molloy, also has personal ties with the show’s judge Pete Evans.
“It is such a conflict of interest,” Cindy, who was married to Adam for 20 years, told the show about Adam’s professional relationship with Pete, one of the judges of the show. According to her, Adam started working at Pete’s restaurant, Hugo’s at Kings Cross, after their marriage ended. Hugo’s lists Pete’s brother David Evans as a co-owner with two others.
And before that, Adam apparently gave Pete tennis lessons. He even told his children that he was coaching the MKR chef.
The revelation comes as a shock to viewers who expected all contestants to have zero association with the judges and producers before the show. With the winner of the cooking game show set to take home $250,000 prize money, Cindy’s claims cast doubt on the scores Adam and Carol received from Pete and fellow judge and chef Manu Feildel.
Seven, however, denied that Pete knew Adam before the show started. “Pete Evans has never had tennis lessons from Adam,” a spokesperson of the network told the Daily Mail. “They met for the first time on the program.”
Aside from Adam and Pete’s alleged working relationship prior to the start of the show, Cindy also claimed to “A Current Affair” that Adam is a deadbeat dad who owes $36,000 in child support payments and has zero relationship with his five children, who are from ages eight to 15.
“We get no financial support at all,” Cindy said, adding that their children also have no emotional support from their father. Contrary to what was written on Adam and Carol’s page on the MKR site, that they have a “large blended family” who “visit as often as they can,” Cindy alleged Adam never visits his children. He doesn’t even call them on their birthdays.
“He’s never played an active role, a massive role in their lives anyway. He was always gone so early in the morning and come home very late at night when he lived here. But basically, his role now is non-existent; he’s pretty much wiped his hands clean off the children,” Cindy alleged.
Cindy said seeing Adam on TV flaunting his comfortable life is “insulting and quite brazen.” She isn’t bitter with his newfound happiness with Carol, but Cindy said that’s when he started turning his back on his financial obligations. Adam’s $36,000 debt to child support agency was accrued over the last year.
She has produced a letter dated Jan. 23 that states she wrote to the producers of MKR asking for details of any payments they made to Adam. And if Adam and Carol won the grand prize, Cindy wants to place a garnishee order on the $250,000 reward.
Seven Network, meanwhile, said the production did not receive the letter. “This is a private matter between the parties involved,” the network only said of Cindy’s claims.