Poh Ling Yeow’s husband Jono Bennett was extremely jealous of her friendship with ex Matt Phipps

Jealousy has no place in MasterChef Australia runner-up Poh Ling Yeow’s very modern love life.

After splitting from her first husband Matt Phipps in 1999, the 47-year-old married aspiring actor Jono Bennett in 2014 – but remained very close friends with her ex. 

But while Jono, who is nine years Poh’s junior, says he now feels no animosity towards Matt – this wasn’t always the case.  

Back in 2017, Jono told Woman’s Day that he used to feel ‘jealous’ of Jono and Poh’s friendship, confessing that: ‘It was something we all had to work on essentially.’ 

‘I know it’s very human to be jealous, but it doesn’t make it right. There’s a lot of history [between Poh and Matt], so it’s not something that can be taken away. It’s not something that should be,’ he explained.  

These days, Matt and Jono are such good friends that they run Jamface Cafe at the Adelaide Central Market, along with Poh and Matt’s new wife Sarah Rich (who happens to be Poh’s best friend of 20 years).   

Poh has made no secret of the unusual arrangement in the past, but insists she’s learnt to make it work as mature adults.

‘He’s my ex-husband. She’s my best friend. And when we broke up, they got together and it’s all dandy. It’s actually really good!’ she told Mamamia in 2017.  

‘Everyone tries to complicate it. From the outside in, they’re all like “love triangle!” And I’m like, “no!” He’s like my brother now and I think … people are never interested in the back story. They want everything to be sordid,’ Poh said at the time. 

Poh married Matt in 1990 when they were both practicing Mormons, but the pair divorced nine years later. 

The reality star went on to meet Jono while he was working as a production assistant on MasterChef.