'Just Desserts' Star Adriano Zumbo's Girlfriend Is Also a Talented Pastry Chef

If you haven’t binge-watched Season 2 of Zumbo’s Just Desserts on Netflix, what are you waiting for?! The baking competition returned with more wacky challenges that make our mouths water just thinking about them!

Co-host and chef Adriano Zumbo once again lives up to his moniker as "Australia’s Willy Wonka," but what else is there to know about the food connoisseur? Below, we answer some of fans’ most frequently asked questions about the 38-year-old.

The pâtissier isn’t actually married, but he has been dating former My Kitchen Rules contestant Ornella "Nelly" Riggio for the past three years. The pair met when the brunette beauty applied to work for his company, and the couple made their relationship Instagram official in January 2017.

A little over a year later, Adriano defended the duo’s romance after reports surfaced that Nelly cheated on her ex-boyfriend with the Sugar Rush judge. "I'm used to criticism," the New South Wales native admitted. "In the end, you have to do what makes you happy. The people who love you and are around you are all that matters."

He added, "Nelly and I are going great. She's an amazing person and has been very supportive and loving. She's always positive and loves life."

The pastry chef isn’t a father yet, but he’d like to become one! When asked if he wanted kids in a 2018 interview, Adriano said, "Definitely. Just two is good." He’d also love to start a traveling cooking show with Nelly.

His excitement over the possibility of starring in another series was a far cry from how he felt a few months later while filming the second season of Zumbo’s Just Desserts.

In an Instagram post published the same day 10 new episodes dropped on Netflix, Adriano confessed that the competition was shot during the "hardest, [most] emotional, and most challenging" time of his life. 

"What I had worked for endlessly 24/7 for the past 12 [years] fell apart in front of me from my mistakes and financial difficulties," he wrote, referring to his food empire’s accumulation of $10 million worth of debt. "The reality is everything you pray to go your way doesn’t always happen. And you unintentionally let a lot of good people down."

Adriano revealed he felt like a fraud hosting Zumbo’s Just Desserts while his company collapsed around him. "Every day going to the studio I felt unworthy of being in the role I was in…" he shared. "How could I be this colorful, fun Dessert Maker host when everything that probably got me this opportunity was failing?"

But with the return of his cooking series and the success of his stint on Netflix’s Sugar Rush, it looks like things might be turning around for the baking genius.

You can follow the TV personality at @thesweetassassin, which is a nickname he coined. Naturally, the cookbook author frequently shares photos of his mouth-watering creations with his 150K followers.

But recently, he's been bringing attention to the devastating bushfires that are raging across Australia. "As our country experiences an unprecedented disaster that is forecast to get worse… families, firefighters, communities, and wildlife organizations are needing as much help and support that anyone can give!" he wrote, including information on where fans can donate.

The second season of Zumbo’s Just Desserts is available to stream on Netflix now.