MasterChef Australia couple Sarah Todd and Declan Cleary have opened up about the birth of their twin daughters, revealing the medical emergency that unfolded during delivery.

The pair described how Todd’s high-risk pregnancy quickly escalated after an unexpected diagnosis at 34 weeks when she felt increasingly unwell in the final stretch.

“I just started getting quite sick and physically in pain,” she told The Australian Women’s Weekly on their Love Stories podcast.

“I seemed to be unwell for a lot of the end of it. I was like, gosh, I don’t remember it being this difficult.”

Despite the complications, she had hoped to carry the pregnancy further.

“I wanna make it to 36 weeks, and whatever it took, I was gonna get to that point.”

However, at a routine scan in December 2025, she was diagnosed with preeclampsia, a serious condition that can cause high blood pressure and complications for both mother and babies. As her condition worsened, doctors decided an emergency induction was necessary.

“It was all these signs that these little girls are ready to come out into the world,” Cleary said. “And by that point it was Sarah that was becoming the health problem. I was f***ing terrified.”

The emergency delivery unfolded in just 14 minutes.

“It was the longest 14 minutes of my life,” Cleary said.

Todd was placed under general anaesthesia as doctors worked quickly to deliver the twins, Claudia and Charlotte. From the edge of the operating room, Cleary watched as the situation became increasingly tense.

“And the girls were still,” he recalled. “And it was like, God, I’ve got like two dead babies here and mum’s knocked unconscious. And I can’t say anything… they’re going crazy.”

Amid the chaos, he said he focused on his partner.

“Sarah goes under and I’m just there looking at mum,” he said. “She’s my number one priority now.”

However, the ordeal continued after the birth, with Todd experiencing seizures while still under anaesthetic.

“I can handle pain,” she said, “but this? I couldn’t handle this. There was nothing I could do to stop it.”

A surgeon later reassured him that all three would be okay.

“It was just the most liberating feeling in the world,” he said.

The couple said they are now reflecting on the experience, with their daughters safely born following the emergency.

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