She's one of the hot favourites to walk away with the top prize on this season's MasterChef.
But Savindri 'Sav' Perera, 30, has now revealed her behind-the-scenes battle with a crippling mental illness she has struggled with her whole life.
In a moving Instagram post on Wednesday, Sav opened up about her body dysmorphia - a psychological disorder in which an individual obsesses over a perceived flaw in their appearance.
'The amount of absolute hatred I have for myself after a lifetime of being made to feel ugly for being fat was immense,' Sav revealed in the raw and moving post.
'Yet every morning I put my make-up on and show up because my desire to compete is bigger than my hatred for my appearance.'
The Adelaide banking consultant who arrived in Australia from Sri Lanka as an eight-year-old with her family included a heartbreaking photo of herself as a young child.
Telling followers that her struggle with severe body dysmorphia was the 'biggest battle' she had to overcome before joining MasterChef, Sav then revealed her fears about appearing on TV.
'A big part of me wasn't ready to go on MasterChef because I was still grieving.
MasterChef Australia's Savindri 'Sav' Perera, 30, has revealed her behind-the-scenes battle with a crippling mental illness that she has been struggling with her whole life.
'But there was also a part of me that was scared because I'm not skinny and pretty like TV personalities usually are.'
Sav also confessed that she knew audiences might have a problem with her personal style which she described in the share as 'blunt and direct'.
'It is sometimes really, really hard for me to watch myself purely because of the intense fatphobia I have towards myself,' she continued.
In a moving share to her stories on Wednesday Sav opened up about her body dysmorphia - a psychological disorder in which an individual obsesses over a perceived flaw in their appearance. Pictured: Sav's post which includes a photo of herself as a child
'The hatred I have towards my body at times is awful. Years of therapy later and it's better but it's not easy. That self-loathing manifested in a way that led to me convincing myself that I don't deserve to take up space in this world.'
The reality star also addressed negative comments she has received from viewers via social media about the sound of her voice and how she does not smile enough.
'Whilst I don't engage with these things, I still see it and while I can ignore it on most days, after a while I wonder if it's actually true when I know it isn't,' she said.
The Adelaide banking consultant who arrived in Australia from Sri Lanka as an eight-year-old with her family shared how she feared appearing on TV
Sav signed off her her post with a moving show of support for others who suffer from similar body image problems.
'I want to talk about this openly because my experience is not unique.
'There are many people, women, men, just people, who feel like they cannot take up space because they don't fit society's demands of them. I hope you know, you should do what you wanna do anyway. I hope it doesn't stop you from going where you want to go.'
Sav later posted a message of thanks to her supporters after her revealing share
Meanwhile, Sav revealed in a post on Thursday that she had received many personal messages of support after share.
'I am finally catching up with all the beautiful DMs I've received from the countless people, mainly women, resonating with my vulnerability,' she said.
'I knew that representing myself as I am was going to be important for my personal integrity, but to see the impact of me just being completely myself [is] beyond what I could have ever imagined,' she continued.
'Thank you. Truly. I am very grateful to be part of the conversation of representation.'
If this content has triggered concerns help is available via the Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673.
