Slimmed-down Julie Goodwin has shown off her remarkable physical transformation as the MasterChef Australia star returned to The Project during its final week, sixteen years after she appeared as the first-ever guest.

Julie Goodwin has returned to The Project, sixteen years after she first appeared on the program as the original guest.

The 2009 MasterChef Australia winner returned on Sunday to Channel 10’s flagship current affairs program as it heads into its final week on air.

In this episode, Goodwin looked back at clips of her first appearance on the show in 2009, when she was introduced by the original panellists Carrie Bickmore, Dave Hughes, Charlie Pickering, and James Mathison.

The 54-year-old was, at the time, the newly-crowned winner of the first series of the cooking competition and looked markedly different from how she does now, after having shed almost 20 kgs almost a decade ago.

“It’s so strange like I look at that, and I was in my 30’s, now I’m in my 50’s, now you guys have been here for a long time,” Goodwin told Sunday evening’s panellists Waleed Aly, Sarah Harris, Sam Taunton, and Rachel Corbett Goodwin.

“I’m a grandma now, my boys are adults, they’re living adult lives and heaps has changed so much has changed.”

The star said what hasn’t changed is The Project has been a staple in her household since her first appearance on the show all those years ago.

“Just being able to tune into the day’s events without going into a sad spiral and the way you’ve done this for sixteen years has been beautiful.

Julie Goodwin has returned to The Project, sixteen years after she first appeared on the program as the original guest. Picture: Channel 10

“And I’m so thankful to have been a tiny part of it.”

Elsewhere in the episode, the panellists showed sweet photos of Goodwin cooking in the kitchen with her young granddaughter, Delilah.

The celebrity chef said she was “thrilled” the youngster is a regular at the dinner table and enjoys helping her grandmother in the kitchen.

It comes after a Ten spokesperson earlier this month confirmed to SkyNews.com.au The Project will air for the last time this Friday, June 27, after almost 16 years and more than 4,500 episodes.

“The impact that The Project has had on the media and entertainment industry, countless careers, as well as on Australian society and culture, cannot be overstated,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Goodwin looked back at clips of her first appearance on the show in 2009. Picture: Channel Ten

She was then introduced by the original panellists Carrie Bickmore, Dave Hughes, Charlie Pickering, and James Mathison. Picture: Channel Ten

The Melbourne-based show in 2022 suffered reported budget cuts and declining viewership at Ten.

Meanwhile, the broadcaster faced mounting challenges as the show’s ratings dwindled due to criticism of its left-wing bias being too “woke”.

Goodwin’s return to The Project comes after she stunned fans with her slimmer-than-ever appearance on Instagram earlier this month.

The star’s natural grey locks peeked through her short dyed tresses in a cooking video, with the hairstyle accentuating her slender face and frame.

The culinary extraordinaire’s slender collarbones and arms were visible beneath her black-and-white striped T-shirt.

 

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Goodwin kept her signature glasses on, which have become synonymous with the star for more than a decade.

Her physical transformation comes after she has faced serious struggles while grappling with the challenges of fame.

She recorded a drink driving offence in 2018 and made an attempt on her life in 2020.

The chef recently revealed she’s now in a much better place, telling Nine Honey: “I’m good, I really am”.