Megan McKenna on gut health, gluten-free cooking and life beyond reality TV

“It was really hard growing up like that”

Long before her TV fame, Megan was a 10-year-old dealing with painful symptoms that no one could quite explain.

“I was just a really ill child, really skinny,” she says. “My whole body kind of just shut down. I had to have a lot of time off school.”

After being tested for everything from Crohn’s disease to IBS, the final diagnosis was coeliac disease and a severe wheat allergy – something Megan describes as life-changing.

“It wasn’t really known back then to have dietary problems. If you couldn’t eat something, people would look at you like you were an alien.”

Canteens weren’t prepared, supermarkets didn’t stock gluten-free alternatives, and Megan found herself relying on her mum to learn how to cook everything from scratch.

"The gluten-free things back in the day were awful. Like cardboard. So my mum had to learn how to cook for me, and that’s where my love of cooking came from.”

“People still think gluten-free food is disgusting, but it’s not”

Megan’s latest book, Love Gluten-Free, is packed with hearty, family-style meals that just happen to be gluten-free, though you’d never know it.

“I cook everything gluten-free at home,” she says. “Oliver [her partner] isn’t gluten-free, but he doesn’t even notice the difference. That’s the point. It’s just good food.”

What frustrates Megan most isn’t the lack of awareness around gluten-free cooking, it’s the perception that it’s somehow boring or bland.

“There are so many meals that are naturally gluten-free,” she explains. “But restaurants decide to shove gluten in for no reason. I’ll call ahead, I’ll ask for a gluten-free Yorkshire pudding, and they say no. I’m like, ‘It’s just [gluten-free] flour, egg and water!’”

She hopes her recipes will encourage people to feel included again, whether they’re coeliac, gluten-intolerant or just want to feel better after eating.

“Food should be comforting. It shouldn’t make you feel anxious. And people with allergies should be able to enjoy a proper roast dinner without feeling like a burden.”

“I’ve had to be really vocal – people don’t take it seriously”

Behind Megan’s glamorous public image is someone who’s had to be extremely cautious about what she eats, often to the point of frustration.

“I’ll triple-check everything when I go out,” she says. “And still, I’ve had waiters try to tell me about my own allergy. They’ll say, ‘Oh, the heat from the fryer kills the gluten.’ I’m like, no it doesn’t!”

Megan is now working with the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation to raise awareness about cross-contamination, a hidden danger for many allergy sufferers. “This isn’t about being fussy. People have died. Especially children. It’s not something we can joke about.”

Even with her platform, Megan says it’s hard to be taken seriously. “When I was younger, my face would swell up after eating certain things. But in that party lifestyle – drinking, eating out – you don’t want to be ‘the difficult one’. You’re scared people will think you’re just being dramatic.”

Now a new mum to baby, Landon, Megan is even more focused on education and early awareness. “Coeliac disease is hereditary, so I’m being really careful as I wean him. I’m introducing everything slowly – nuts, dairy, eventually wheat. I just want him to be okay.”

“I want to be known for my food, not just my past”

Megan might have started out in reality TV, but she’s carving out a new identity, one recipe at a time.

“People assume I just want to be famous, but I actually trained in musical theatre. I’ve done MasterChef. I’ve won X Factor: Celebrity. I want to be known for my talent and my cooking.”

To her three million followers on Instagram, Megan shares everything from creamy ragus and spicy curries to failsafe gluten-free desserts. It has become a space where people can learn, laugh and feel seen.

“I think people are shocked when they see my meals. Like, yeah, I eat proper food. I want people to know that gluten-free doesn’t mean boring. It can mean apple crumble with custard. It can mean roast dinners with all the trimmings.”

For Megan, good food isn’t about trends, it’s about connection.

“It’s that warm feeling in your stomach when you’re sitting around the table with your family. That’s what food should feel like.”