Emelia Jackson

Jackson was born in Melbourne in 1989 to an Australian father and a mother of Serbian, Macedonian and Greek heritage. She attended Siena College for secondary school.[1]

At age 14, Jackson was seriously injured after being struck by a car while catching a tram. After years of rehabilitation, during which time she missed a year of secondary school, her mother stated that the accident changed her personality to make her more driven toward her goals.[2] Later, she attended Monash University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Psychology & Management.[3]

Jackson appeared as one of the top 24 contestants in the Australian reality television program MasterChef Australia 2014. She finished in third place on 27 July 2014.[4]

Jackson was then invited to join the top 24 returning contestants in MasterChef Australia: Back to Win in 2020. She was declared the competition winner over runner-up Laura Sharrad on 20 July 2020, winning $250,000.[5]

On 26 October 2020, she returns to Junior MasterChef Australia as a guest chef.

Jackson and Sharrad (then Cassai) had both appeared in the 2014 series, where Sharrad finished second and Jackson third. Jackson and Sharrad had also both attended Siena College as teenagers, although not in the same school years.[5]