Lerato Moloi bares all in the MasterChef kitchen

Former Elizabeth Arden model and sports presenter Lerato Moloi regarded herself as a "very private public figure" until she became a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef South Africa.

M-Net's new show, which airs on Sundays at 6pm, has made her let down her guard and expose her flaws in the kitchen.

Smarting from the first episode, when her rock cakes turned out quite like their name, Moloi, 33, said she could "still throw down in the kitchen".

"I had forgotten the milk. I hadn't baked those since I was 12 years old. I couldn't remember the recipe correctly. They came out quite hard. I called my mom afterwards and she told me I forgot the milk. That was quite an important ingredient," she giggled.

Ten celebrities, among them Alex Jay, Patricia Lewis, Sade Giliberti and Lunga Shabalala, were challenged by the judges to travel back to their childhoods and prepare cherished dishes in the first episode.

They are putting their culinary skills to the test to raise money for charity.

Moloi, who courted controversy when a New York modelling agency told her to lose weight in 2000, said the most difficult thing about being a contestant on MasterChef was not being able to call her mother, Sarah, for advice.

Moloi, who will be taking on the pressure test elimination challenge today, said the cooking show had allowed her to get out of her comfort zone.

"For a long time I have been a very private public figure.

"I just wanted to challenge myself. Let people see the real me with no inhibitions. This kind of reality show does not allow you to pretend to be something that you are not," she said.

Moloi also revealed that she had never been on a diet in her life.

"For me it's always been about healthy. I do indulge now and again. If you can afford a good delicious meal go ahead - life's short. My trim figure is genetics. I don't really go to gym."

Moloi, who in 2009 became Elizabeth Arden's first black face, believes the industry can be "very strange".

"If I am not going to be accepted as I am, I'm not going to lose it. I am considered skinny, [but] when it comes to work internationally it's a different story," she said.

Moloi's time on the show has allowed her to grow into an accomplished cook.

"The MasterChef kitchen is quite a challenge, you know. It is high pressure, especially with that clock ticking above you," she said.

In April, when the basketball season starts, Moloi will resume presenting for SuperSport.