ONLY RUGBY ACE IS WAKED €1 Olive’s tears for fallen hero Axel Friday, October 21, 2016 €1(50p NI) www.thesun.ie POTATOES €1 FOR EVERY READER SEE PAGE 16 SEE PAGES 6&7 CECELEBLEB CHECHEFF EXCLUSIVE DYLAN: By KEN SWEENEY, Showbiz Editor CELEBRITY chef Dylan McGrath today lays bare how he has lost his ability to taste food as he fights daily agony. The Masterchef Ireland star hyhyhi also reveals how he downed 14 pills a day to fight the chronic pain and paralysis that has left hyhyhi him four stone overweight. McGrath, 39, said: “I thought CHER-ILL it was game over. The illness has taken away my sense of taste.” hyhyhi IT’S Full Story — Pages Four and Five SPLIT HELL SEE PAGE 15 GAME EUROPA LEAGUE Kitchen nightmare . OVER Dylan fighting pain DUNDALK..........1 ZENIT..................2 MAN UTD..........4 lCan’t taste lUp 4 stone lEndless pain FENERBAHCE....1 SEE SUNSPORT 4 ...............McFriday, OctoberGR 21, 2016 ATH LIFT1RM S LID ON HELLHELL WITH BIZ, BACK1RMAND TABLFriday,ET October 21, 2016S............... 5 Stellar career of All sorts of kitchen thoughts master I can’t taste can go 1977 BORN in Dublin. Spent the first Good friends . Dylan and Nick; through six years of his life growing up in Carlow before his family below, chef Christine O’Sullivan moved to the Falls Road in your head Belfast. As a teenager he stud- ied at Portrush Catering School before going on to the Belfast Institute. 1998 HE landed his first job in the food industry at the Jury’s Inn hotel in Belfast before moving on to Roscoff’s — the only Michelin star restaurant in Northern Ireland at the time. 1999 A YOUNG McGrath soon left the Roscoff to join the team at anything... Conrad Gallagher’s Peacock Alley eatery in Dublin. He then EXCLUSIVE by KEN SWEENEY jetted to the UK where he Showbiz Editor worked in the two Michelin stars restaurant L’Ortolan by CELEBRITY chef Dylan John Burton Race in Reading. McGrath has admitted dark 2002 THE talented chef returned to thoughts went through his Dublin to work in Aidan head after his chronic back Byrne’s Commons restaurant. 2003 injury left him unable to HE was called back to the UK taste food. to work in Tim Aiken’s new The Masterchef Ireland star diner in Chelsea as head chef. suffered paralysis in his arm 2006 McGRATH came back to and leg following a back con- Dublin to head up Mint restau- dition that left him hospital- rant, which was awarded a ised for months on end, Michelin star in 2008. downing numerous tablets a 2008 day, and four stone overweight. I was on MADE his first appearance on Dylan told the Irish Sun: “The TV in RTE’s Guerrilla Gourmet worst thing was the doctors didn’t cooking show before featur- know what was wrong with me. I ing in the fly-on-the-wall docu- was screaming at the top of my mentary The Pressure Cooker. voice with back pain I was feeling 2010 and that was on a daily basis. DYLAN opened his own Rustic “My whole arm was numb. I Stone restaurant in Dublin. couldn’t feel one whole side of my 2011 body. I was on 12-14 tablets that I McGRATH is announced as a had to take as the day went on. It judge on RTE’s hit show Mas- was pure hell.” terchef, which aired in Sep- The chef added: “The pain was tember. It was around this time excruciating. I thought my life was that the pain in his back began over. When you’re faced with some- to torment him as he prepared thing like this, all sorts of things go to open his Fade Street restau- through your head. It affects you so rant in Dublin. much, it just robs you of your spirit. 2015 “But I am a resilient person. I fought this tooth and nail and I THE chef reaches breaking will continue to keep fighting.” point and goes under the knife Despite the agony he still suffers 14 pills in November after trying a night and day, the Belfast man range of different methods to decided to go off painkillers The pain I clear up his aching back. because it robs him of the creativ- Doctors told him it would ity he needs to be a top chef. take six weeks to recover after Dylan said: “I rely on the young have is the operation. However things chefs I have working for me took a turn for the worse and because the illness has taken away nerve damage left him in pain my sense of taste. I’m a creative, horrific every time he moved his arm. artistic person and all that stopped. But since coming off the tablets that side of me is coming back.” but I have As a star of TV’s Masterchef, Dylan was one of the most famous cooks in Ireland and about to open to go on his latest restaurant in May 2015 when his world fell apart. He said: “I had problems with my back for years. It was really a time bomb waiting to happen. Back in business . “Overnight, I went from being an a day Dylan at his Rustic able-bodied person going to the gym three times a week to someone Stone restaurant in the most incredible pain 24 as he struggles hours a day.” Desperate to promote his latest with chronic pain venture, Dylan went on Brendan O’Connor’s old Saturday night chat show heavily dosed with painkillers. rilla Gourmet was suffering from a sumed with dark thoughts. Dylan that it might be horrible now but back problem and working with a affecting my mindset. What has dards slipping, is terrifying.” returns to TV3 in January. He said: through this illness. McGrath said: His rambling performance nerve condition called Complex recalled: “When you’re faced with things do get better. You have to hypnotherapist in an attempt to helped is that I have an Along with family and the “Masterchef was never going to be “I’m not going out so I haven’t seen shocked the nation and prompted Regional Back Syndrome. something like that, all sorts of keep trying.” overcome his pain. incredible team of chefs around team in his restaurant, the an option. I just had to tell them I Nick in months but he did text me calls from friends and family. The diagnosis proved the most things go through your head. People Dylan’s misery continued until Dylan admits to being slightly me. The illness I went through foodie has also relied on a was very sick and wouldn’t be asking if I was okay. Dylan said: “When I did Bren- terrifying moment yet for the bed- who were less strong might have November 2015 when he underwent embarrassed of his appearance, means I can’t taste food any- special friend. taking part — but I wish them all “We are friends. When you are dan’s TV show,I was at my very ridden TV star. felt suicidal. surgery and was given a recovery having gained weight, but as he more so I rely on the young He admits: “Yes, I have had the best.” thrown into an environment like worst. But I had to keep going Dylan said: “The doctors told me “But I guess perseverance is part time of six weeks. sips tea in his acclaimed eaterie guys to taste for me.” the support of somebody in the And he admits to having mixed Masterchef and you have to work because we had made a huge I could have this for the rest of my of the human spirit. If you have However, things got worse and Rustic Stone, in Dublin, he is back He admits he suffered sleep- past year. No names but I am feelings about his TV fame. together for months and months, investment and I was responsible. I life. It was all shrouded in mystery. been through dark periods before, nerve damage became a problem, in the business he loves. less nights wondering what seeing somebody. Does she Dylan said: “I am not a TV per- there is a connection.” had to keep going and didn’t stop I felt so broken.I was listening to you know you can come out the with the pain moving to his arm Dylan said: “I’ve withdrawn, I would happen to his three res- work in the business? No, I am sonality. Despite the fact that I was Dylan has now vowed to get pushing myself forward.” them unable to get out of bed. other side. He recalled: “I couldn’t move my don’t go out. I can’t go out for din- taurants during his long illness. not answering that.” embraced on TV and people liked back to full health. As a result, his condition wor- “I couldn’t eat anything. I was “What struck me, as well, is that arm for three months. That was ner because I can’t taste anything Dylan said: “To stay in busi- The life-changing illness also me on TV, that’s not my job. Pre- He said: “I feel more human sened and Dylan found himself thinking ‘this is it, my life is over’. so many people across Ireland suf- terrifying.” and I don’t want to meet people. ness you have to be consistent. meant Dylan had to turn down senters do that. I’m a restaurateur now.