Nigella Lawson has admitted she feels "freer" since spending time away from the UK.

The chef hasn't fronted a UK TV show since 2020's Nigella's Cook, Eat, Repeat. In recent years, the 65-year-old star has appeared on a series of international shows, including as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia and US cooking programme The Taste.

Nigella has now shared how she has enjoyed spending more time in Australia.

"I do feel a bit freer," she told The Times. "There is something about that big sky that settles me in my skin. The Australians are so laid back that I'm not sure they're much given to making a fuss. And that's relaxing."

While the star still calls London her home, she has enjoyed travelling around the world now that her children have grown up.

Nigella explained: "What is really fantastic now for me... is that I don't have to stay home and look after people. I have perhaps six weeks a year of a different life."

The chef has made no secret of her love for Australia. In 2022, she revealed her frustration that the Covid-19 pandemic had put a stop to her visiting the country.

She wrote on X: "I've been dreaming about being back in Australia for the last two years and that dream is soon to be a reality."