Inside MasterChef star Anna Haugh’s love life: Divorce from husband; seven-year struggle to conceive; split from partner
She's mum to a five-year-old son with her ex
MasterChef judge Anna Haugh makes her series 22 debut alongside presenting partner Grace Dent tonight (April 21), and there will be a very cute man watching her from home – her gorgeous son Oisín.
She shares the tot with Rich Elwell, the man 45-year-old Anna Haugh once called her “partner in crime” and described as “very good looking and very funny”.
However, starting a family hasn’t been without its hiccups for Irish chef Anna. First, she split from her unnamed first husband. Then, after meeting Rich, she endured seven years of IVF before welcoming their son. Earlier this year, she confirmed she had split from Rich. They now co-parent the five-year-old boy.
Anna, who previously acted as a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals and was a guest judge in the final episodes of MasterChef 2025, is now a full-time judge on the BBC show. And, with her increased presence on TV, Anna will also be preparing for more interest in her love life…
Who is MasterChef star Anna Haugh’s partner?
Anna appears to be single. She shares a son, Oisín, with ex-partner Richard Elwell.
Rich and Anna were last seen in a picture on social media together at Wimbledon in July 2024, and they looked idyllically happy.
However, she told RTE in January: “Oisin’s father and I are not together any more, but we co-parent Oisin.”
And, despite her love split, she hasn’t ruled out having more children. She added: “Everyone has their own limits as to how many children they’d like to have. I’d still love to have more children, but I think it’s right to acknowledge that while I always knew that I wanted to be a mother, not every woman does.”
Don't miss a single story! Add us as a Preferred Source in Google for all your television news
Anna’s fertility battle
During their long-term relationship, Rich and Anna underwent seven years of IVF. She previously shared that she “felt destined to become a mother”.
Anna welcomed her first son with Rich in 2021 and named him Oisín Ronnie Elwell. His teenage son Henry, from a previous relationship, helped to name his little brother.
Writing in the Irish Times in 2021, she said: “Other than becoming a chef, the only other thing I felt destined to become was a mother. I love all of my nieces and nephews, and seeing my family reflected in them has always made me hope to have the same. I believed deep inside me that I should be a mother, but it took my partner and I seven years to conceive Oisin, our beautiful little cherub.”
View this post on Instagram
Juggling motherhood and her career
Anna has said that, as a working mum, she tries hard to push the mum guilt aside.
She told the Irish Times: “There are too many unfair expectations on women. I’d rather not list them, as I believe that only reinforces our sense of them. I’ve watched many great women and men raise their children around me. One thing I learned is that a happy parent is a good parent. I watch Rich with Oisin and I feel great pride. He is a wonderful father.”
She added: “I was once told, in a job I liked very much, that if I fell pregnant I would be asked to leave. I was horrified. I still am. I cannot think of a job that is more flexible and suitable for being a mother, with the right approach from employers, than being a chef. Kitchens need people from early in the morning until late at night. Meaning there is room for flexible hours.”
Anna added that opening her own London restaurant, Myrtle, meant that not only did she have “culinary freedom”, it also gave her “employment freedom”. “If I can’t get someone to mind Oisin I can bring him to the meeting. This is part of the privilege of being your own boss. A privilege I am aware of and acknowledge,” she added.
Speaking to The Times last July, she also shared: “I had a baby. After seven years of IVF, Oisín was born. People said you can have a baby or a restaurant and I said I’ll have [bleep]ing both! He’s four now and when I’m with him he’s everything. No phone, no emails, no work, just him and me.”
On parenting her little boy
She added to Yahoo earlier this year: “I don’t feel guilty [for being a working mum]. My intentions are good, and I’m always trying my best. Whether you’re a stay-at-home mother or a full-time working mother, if your intentions are good and you’re trying your best, there’s no reason for guilt. Your child feels the sincerity of your love.”
Anna added: “I had my son when I was 40, so I was very ready to be a mother. I was prepared to sacrifice whatever needed sacrificing – mostly my social life.
“My son comes first. I work a lot, but when I’m with him, I’m fully with him. Whether we’re playing, tidying up or going to the playground, I try to think about what’s good for him. Sometimes what’s good for him is simply hearing the word no. I’m sure I don’t get it right all the time, but I’m doing my best to raise him well.”
Anna Haugh’s divorce from her first husband
The MasterChef host was previously married for 13 years. However, not much is known about her ex-husband.
Speaking to the Irish Independent in 2015, Anna – who had recently split from her husband at the time – told how not having children did help her commit to the gruelling schedule of a fine-dining head chef early in her career.
She said at the time: “I’m so lucky I don’t [have children]. Because I wouldn’t be able to do this job at this stage with children. But I don’t feel I’ve sacrificed a family for this. I haven’t sacrificed anything.
“Everything I’ve done is a decision I’ve wanted. I’ve had plenty of opportunity to have a family, especially when I was working for the events company. But I’m ambitious, and I wasn’t ready. Maybe one day I will have kids, maybe I won’t, and I don’t feel bad about that. I love my life.”
Read more: Inside MasterChef star Grace Dent’s love life, from mystery ex to protecting new partner
