Former MasterChef Australia judge and hospitality entrepreneur George Calombaris has spoken of his battle with alcohol addiction after a series of scandals rocked his empire.

Appearing on the podcast Ouzo Talk, Calombaris detailed his spiral after his MAdE Establishment group had payroll issues, underpaying staff more than $7 million over a six year period.

The celebrity chef and Melbourne personality paid back all the staff’s wages and superannuation, including a fine of $200,000.

It wasn’t the only controversy to snag the disgraced star, in 2017 he was charged with assault following an altercation with a fan at the A-League grand final.

The conviction was overturned on appeal and the judge imposed a 12-month good behaviour bond while striking the criminal conviction from his permanen

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