Heartbreak of MasterChef star, 21, whose older sister died with 'no warning'

Release time：2024-05-09 07:44:13 Source：Universal Unfoldings news portal

A MasterChef star battling for the title this year has also been fighting the devastating loss of her 'beautiful' sister just over 18 months ago, MailOnline can reveal today. 

Abigail Kempley, 21, began to cook properly at home in Harrogate during lockdown and is now on the verge of making knockout week on series 20 of the BBC show.

Abi has wowed judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace with the quality of her food and presentation as well as her Asian fusion cooking.

But Miss Kempley, who works in sales for her family’s food business in Leeds, has also been left heartbroken by the death of her older sister less than two years ago.

Ellie Kempley was a kind and loving nursery teacher who was 'passionate' about children but passed away suddenly and with no warning in September 2022 after being found unresponsive in her room at home by her brother James.

Ellie died aged just 23 from Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS), a condition when someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly from a cardiac arrest. 

Abigail Kempley, 21, is making waves on series 20 of the BBC show MasterChef

But Abi (left) and her family were devastated by the sudden death of sister Ellie (right), aged 23, in 2022. She was described as a kind and passionate woman who wanted to be a nursery teacher

Abi (left) and sister Ellie (right) with their mother Leigh (centre)

The sisters together as children in an image shared on a fundraising page for Ellie to cover the costs of future nursery school students, in her memory

Her brother had a 'funny feeling' so went to check on her one Friday night and found her unconscious and unresponsive. She could not be saved.

Ellie had no symptoms or warning signs whatsoever at the time of her death, according to her family. 

Her parents and siblings set up the The Ellie Kempley Scholarship last year to fund a student to complete a teacher training diploma at the Maria Montessori Institute, and complete 'the course that Ellie was unable to finish'.

Brother Ben ran the Yorkshire Marathon last year, raising £26,000 in the process. A team of 31 people completed the event to raise funds in Ellie's memory.

They were even cheered on by fellow Harrogate resident and England football manager Gareth Southgate, who sent them a message of good luck on Facebook.

Abi has said it was her mother who encouraged her to apply for the show

Ellie's boyfriend of two years, Ryan Bowness, said at the time: 'We had spoken about having children of our own in the future. All Ellie wanted was to be a nursery teacher and so by doing this we're still kind of granting her wishes. Ellie didn't get the chance to live out her dream, but hopefully by doing this, other people can in her name'.

Her little sister Abi is now one of the youngest stars of Series 20 of MasterChef, impressing judges with her cooking and use of Asian flavours.

Abi sailed through the first round last month and this week excelled again in the invention test and working in a real restaurant kitchen.

She is now in a good position to get through the next knockout stage and into finals week to fight for the prestigious MasterChef title.

Speaking before the show began she said: 'Food has always been a massive part of my life. 

'My family have always enjoyed eating out, everywhere we went when I was growing up was influenced by where we could eat. I think this has massively impacted my own cooking style – I love to cook what I love to eat. 

'I’ve always loved Japanese and Asian flavours, and this is always what I love to eat when out. 

'In 2020 I started trying to recreate these dishes from home and my cooking has developed from there'.

Abi cooking up a storm on Masterchef this week

Four men donning balaclavas broke into their £3.5million country home near Harrogate, North Yorkshire in 2013, and threatened to kill the family

The gang threatened to kill housewife Leigh Kempley and her children Ben, then 16, and Abbi, then 11, before making off with valuables. Above, (clockwise from top left) father David, James, Leigh, Ben, Ellie and Abbi Kempley

Abi said that it was her mother who really pushed her to apply for the show. 

'I love cooking and I love food, and wanted a challenge and to see that I really can cook', she said.

Abi and her family made headlines more than a decade ago after their home was targeted by burglars.

Four men in balaclavas broke into their £3.5million home and threatened to kill her mother Leigh and her children, including Abi.

Ben, then 16, was marched around the house by the thieves as they searched for valuables. 

The gang’s haul included seven shotguns worth around £100,000 – three of which were recovered.

They took a £250,000 diamond ring, a Rolex watch, another watch worth over £100,000, as well as earrings and a diamond necklace worn by Mrs Kempley.

The robbers then drove off in the family’s white Porsche 911, which was later found abandoned.

The family appealed for information to catch the gang on BBC Crimewatch.

Mrs Kempley, whose husband David was away at the time, said at the time: ‘For them to walk into my home and think it is OK to torture and abuse my kids is sick.

‘For me there isn’t a punishment bad enough for them, I want them to be as frightened as my kids were. They threatened to shoot Ben, to kill Ben. They are animals.’

The gang told Mrs Kempley they would shoot Ben – and told him they would kill his mother and sister to frighten them into co-operating. 

David Kempley, the managing director of family firm Troy Foods, was in Wales at the time, the couple’s eldest son James was at work and their eldest daughter Ellie was out. 

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