Julie Goodwin has emerged in public after hitting back at critics who have raised concerns over her dramatic weight loss.

The former MasterChef Australia star was spotted on Monday outside a gym in Gosford, on the Central Coast of NSW, after working up a sweat inside.

The 54-year-old looked a little tired as she exited the facility dressed in black activewear.

Julie opted for a fitted top underneath a hooded sweatshirt, which she paired with leggings that were a tad loose on her trim legs.

The chef let her natural beauty shine and appeared to go make-up-free while pinning her grey locks partially off her face.

Julie Goodwin (pictured) has emerged in public after hitting back at critics who have raised concerns over her dramatic weight loss

The former MasterChef Australia star was spotted on Monday outside a gym in Gosford, on the Central Coast of NSW, after working up a sweat inside

Julie carried a large, pale blue water bottle and a pink towel as well as a set of keys as she made her way to her car.

The sighting comes just days after the reality star issued a statement defending her weight loss after fans raised concerns about her health.

Julie shared an update on Instagram on Thursday after a new photo, in which she looked very slim, was posted to her account.

Her dramatic transformation led to comments from worried followers.

‘Thanks to all who have expressed concern about my health. I am well and I am within the healthy weight range. My doctor concurs,’ the 54-year-old wrote.

‘For those who have asked me for advice or tips, I am not qualified to provide this. It’s advice that should be sought from your trusted health professionals, not from me. I’m a TV cook,’ she continued.

‘For those who want to comment on the shape and condition of my body please, do it on your own page because I’m tired of reading it. For that reason I’ll be turning off comments on this post.

‘For all of us can we please find something more interesting to talk about. Can we please model kindness to our kids and grandkids and can we please leave this obsession with people’s looks back in the 1980s. Peace and love.’

The 54-year-old looked a little tired as she exited the facility dressed in black activewear

Julie opted for a fitted top underneath a hooded sweatshirt, which she paired with leggings that were a tad loose on her trim legs

The chef let her natural beauty shine and appeared to go make-up-free while pinning her grey locks partially off her face

Julie was prompted to speak out after a selfie shared this week led to comments inquiring about whether she is ‘sick’.

‘I’m actually concerned… to be honest, but if you are healthy and well there is nothing to worry about,’ one fan commented.

‘Oh Julie…. too much weight loss,’ another chimed in, while one more said, ‘She is sick. She looks shocking.’

‘Julie you are awesome, but are you okay?’ someone else asked, with one more posting, ‘Are you okay Julie? You don’t look okay. Hope there’s nothing wrong.’

‘She looks like a skeleton,’ one more person wrote, with yet another saying, ‘OMG you look so ill.’

Others defended Julie, with one person writing, ‘Love how people speculate she is on the jabs. My bet is she is looking after herself and eating the right foods.’

‘OMG Julie you look amazing! You have a beautiful smile. Keep shining!’ another said.

One more chimed in: ‘Can everyone stop commenting on Julie’s weight and telling her she’s too thin? All you’re doing is projecting on her what YOU think she should look like. If she had always looked like this, no-one would say anything.

The sighting comes just days after Julie issued a statement defending her weight loss after fans raised concerns about her health over a selfie (pictured) she’d shared to Instagram

Julie first appeared on MasterChef Australia in 2009 (pictured)

‘Just be happy for her that she’s happy, her doctor’s happy, and she’s healthy!’

Julie recently revealed she had lost more weight following her dramatic ‘accidental’ transformation, which saw her drop a whopping 20kg almost a decade ago.

Posting to Instagram, Julie shared a selfie of her looking thinner than ever following an appearance on Sunrise.

Julie let her greys grow and flaunted a more natural colour for her locks while showcasing her weight loss since winning the cooking show in 2009.

The kitchen guru looked slim as she encouraged fans to try her chicken pie with potato bake topping.

Despite her makeover, Julie still donned her signature wide-frame glasses in the post, while wearing a black and white striped shirt.

Back in 2016, Julie revealed that her dramatic weight loss had nothing to do with dieting and was certainly no cause for celebration.

‘It’s not that I’ve gone on some stupid, sad diet and dropped a whole heap of weight in a hurry,’ she told Women’s Weekly at the time.

‘It’s not anything like that. I am running a business and running around like a mad thing, and sometimes I forget to eat, none of which is healthy.’