Appearing on MasterChef Australia is just the latest chapter in Huda Al Sultan’s colourful life.
The Saudi Arabian-born 34-year-old was just 16 when her elder sister died, after being rushed to hospital in her second trimester of pregnancy.
Huda knew her sister had miscarried, but didn’t know the circumstances of her death beyond that until three years ago.
Two years later, when she was 18, Huda’s parents arranged for her to marry her late sister’s husband Abdulmunem.
“It was awkward and I didn’t know if it was the right thing to do, but I was young,” she told TV Week. “My parents knew he was a good man and it’s the traditional way of marriage [in Arab culture].”
More than 15 years later, Huda and Abdulmunem are still happily married and have three children.
Huda said she is able to look back fondly on her marriage as a “gift” from her sister.
“I’m so lucky to have a supportive husband,” she said. “I just want to say thank you to her.”
Huda told The Advertiser she used to try and hide how she met her husband but she's now proud to share her story.
"When people would ask how I met my husband, I would just change the subject," she said.
"But I remember seeing something while I was watching the TV that made me change my mind and realise that it wasn’t something I should feel shame about."
Huda completed a bachelor's degree in nutrition and health science in Saudi Arabia and in 2007 she moved with her young family to Adelaide.
She continued to study as she learned English and graduated with a Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics four years after her arrival.
Passionate about inspiring young women, Huda now works as a dietitian with local schools in South Australia, teaching mindful eating to teenage girls.
The longtime fan of MasterChef said she's hoping to represent the power of women in girls on the show.
Top Comments
My cousin did this also. She wasn’t happy about it in the beginning as she had a boyfriend of her own at the time. But when her older sister, my other cousin, passed away it was just expected that she marry her brother in law to keep the family and children together. I was raised in Australia and was outraged - I would never do that!! But different cultures have different expectations. Her husband is a lovely man - lucky for her.
The challenge is - as ever - when the husband isn't "a lovely man", In Australia, we get these terrible domestic violence situations: in Saudi Arabia, I think women have even less choice about what they can do in such an awful situation.