It seems Masterchef Australia star Declan Cleary is stepping into a father figure role with Sarah Todd’s son after going public with their age-gap relationship.

In Sunday night’s episode, the fan favourite chef was sent home after his inside out skewers were deemed ‘incomplete’ by the judges, narrowly missing the 17th season’s top ten.

In light of his exit, Declan’s girlfriend and fellow Back To Win contestant Sarah, 38, took to Instagram to gush about the 27-year-old with a slew of photos, a number of which featured Declan bonding with her 14-year-old son Phoenix.

In the snaps, the former builder was all smiles as he played the doting dad, taking the young teenager golfing, go-kart racing and even on a day trip to Luna Park.

‘MasterChef kitchen with you was filled with laughter, lightness, and joy…’ Sarah captioned the post, which has received nearly 23,000 likes.

It seems Masterchef Australia star Declan Cleary (right) is stepping into a father figure role with Sarah Todd’s (left) son after going public with their age-gap relationship

Declan’s girlfriend Sarah (left) took to Instagram to gush about the 27-year-old (centre) with a slew of pictures, a number of which featured Declan bonding with her 14-year-old son Phoenix (right)

In the snaps, the former builder was all smiles as he played the doting dad, taking the young teenager golfing, go-kart racing and even on a day trip to Luna Park

‘Our lunchtime workouts to weekends with Phoenix and Sol (Declan’s dog), and the way you could make me laugh even in the most stressful moments, you made this unforgettable.’

She added: ‘You’ll be so missed in that kitchen, by me, and by everyone watching along at home.

‘But this is only the beginning of your food journey…and I can’t wait for all the belly laughs still to come.’

Declan sweetly responded in the comments section, saying: ‘Thanks my love I definitely have come out a winner.’

Earlier this month, Sarah and Declan came clean about their secret romance, revealing that they have already moved in together following the high-pressure show.

Speaking to Stellar Magazine, Declan revealed that the pair ‘instantly got along’, which saw them spend lots of time together behind the scenes.

However, it wasn’t until Sarah landed in an elimination challenge that Declan’s feelings became apparent, and he knew he needed to tell her how he felt.

‘As she’s walking into the elimination [challenge], I said, “Sarah, can I ask you something? Would you like to go on a date with me?”

Earlier this month, Sarah and Declan came clean about their secret romance, revealing that they have already moved in together following the high-pressure show

‘And she just looked at me and said, “You’re a bloody idiot”,’ he said.

While the poorly-timed invitation didn’t land the way he thought it would, Sarah eventually came around to the idea of them together.

‘After I got through the stress of the elimination and had a couple of days to recover, I realised it made sense,’ she said.

For their first date, the pair visited Grampians National Park for a romantic weekend away.

They enjoyed exploring markets, eating at picturesque restaurants and going for walks in the central Victoria highlands.

Now, after wrapping filming on the show, Declan has made the move from Sydney’s Northern Beaches to Melbourne.

They are joined by his dog Sol and her son Phoenix.

MasterChef Australia airs five nights a week from Sunday to Thursday on Channel 10 and 10 Play.