MasterChef Australia star Anna Polyviou shares how she realised she was in love with her best friend Irene Jones who had only dated men: 'I pashed her'

MasterChef Australia star Anna Polyviou had one firm rule when it came to dating: never get involved with a friend.

Then her best friend and flatmate, Irene Jones, went away for work, and Anna realised she missed her in a way she hadn't expected.

'"Oh, so weird, but I miss you",' Anna texted, according to Irene.

'And then I was like, "Oh, that's weird." And then it just started kind of from there,' Irene told the Daily Mail on Tuesday.

By the time Irene returned home, Anna had figured out her next move.

'And then I think when you came back, I kind of pashed her,' the celebrity pastry chef, 47, admitted.

Sitting down for a candid interview about their whirlwind romance, the couple revealed they had been dating for four months before going public on Saturday.

By then, they had already been close friends for two years, launched a business together and shared two apartments.

Neither expected friendship to turn into love.

Anna, famous for her pink mohawk and extravagant desserts, had recently ended a 17-year relationship. Irene, a mother of four, had separated from her husband after more than two decades together.

'I wasn't looking for anybody,' Anna explained. 'I came out of a 17-year relationship. You came out of a 22-year relationship, and with a man as well.'

For Irene, the split came after the romantic spark in her marriage faded.

'There was just not that kind of spark or romantic connection after years. I think it's normal you lose touch with each other,' she said.

The pair first connected two years ago after Anna asked Instagram followers for travel recommendations for Paris.

Irene replied, and a conversation about their shared Greek heritage led to an unexpected business opportunity.

After losing her daughter Kaitlin at age 24, Irene founded a travel company focused on creating meaningful experiences for women seeking a fresh start.

'I said to her, "Would you be interested in doing a tour of Greece?"' Irene recalled.

The tour sold out, and what began as a business venture quickly grew into a friendship.

Along the way, they discovered their families had been connected for years.

'My uncle, who was a priest, was the one who married her parents,' Irene revealed.

Anna's brother also happened to be the accountant for several members of Irene's family.

A work trip to Las Vegas earlier this year proved to be another turning point.

The pair had travelled to film a promotional project and, with both of their long-term relationships over, found themselves facing an uncertain future when they returned home.

For Anna, leaving behind the life she'd known for 17 years was particularly difficult.

'"Where am I going?" Like, I'm not going home after that. All my stuff's there,' she recalled.

The solution seemed obvious: move in together.

To this day, the pair cannot agree on whose idea it was.

'I was like, "Irene, I don't know what to do",' Anna said.

'Well, should we move in together?' she remembers Irene suggesting.

'I think that was you,' Irene laughed.

Anna wanted to be closer to family in Melbourne, and sharing a home with her best friend felt natural.

'I wanted something familiar,' she said.

The women moved into a short-term rental before later upgrading to another two-bedroom apartment.

Despite living together, Anna insists romance was the last thing on her mind.

'I always said I would never be with a friend. I would never hook up with a friend,' she said.

'And Irene was never interested in a woman, so I never thought about it like that.'

Asked who caught feelings first, Anna didn't hesitate.

'Irene.'

According to Irene, the turning point came after the pair returned from filming in Hawaii.

By then, she had seen Anna as a business partner, colleague and friend. It was the woman she came home to every day who eventually won her heart.

'She's so wonderfully warm, caring, loving,' Irene said.

Another work trip, this time apart, prompted Anna's now-famous text message, and soon after came their first kiss.

'We became best friends, and then from there ended up blossoming into a beautiful relationship,' Anna said.

'When you really know someone, that's the best way to start a relationship.'

Their shared Greek heritage has only strengthened their connection.

'We speak Greek together, we know the same traditions and we go Greek dancing,' Irene said.

Anna had her own take.

'When I'm in trouble, she speaks to me in Greek,' she joked. 'I find it quite sexy.'

The pair kept their relationship private for around four months before sharing the news publicly.

Importantly, Anna never worried that romance could cost them their friendship.

'Not once was I unsure about the friendship,' she said. 'I was never worried we were going to jeopardise that.'

For Irene, going public also meant opening up about dating a woman for the first time.

'I just fell for Anna,' she said.

'It didn't matter whether she was male or female. I just fell for Anna.'

When Irene described Anna as the first woman she'd ever dated, Anna couldn't resist a joke.

'And the only one. The last one, too.'

Having survived a life-threatening skull infection, Anna said the experience changed her perspective on life and relationships.

'I think Irene's just changed everything in my life,' she said.

The pastry chef also described Irene as her equal and soulmate.

'I don't think people realise until you meet your equal and, I would say, soulmate, what it feels like to be adored and loved,' she said.

Then, turning to Irene, she smiled.

'Look at the way you're looking at me.'

'Oh, stop,' Irene replied.

The couple is now building their production company, The Hungry Girlz, together while also launching their new podcast, The Open Table.

They're already discussing a second season.

As for life behind closed doors? 'We've gotta get married before we have sex,' Anna joked.

'That's right,' Irene laughed. 'We're good Greek girls.' 

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