The widow of
MasterChef
Chef Jock Zonfrillo shared information about his last diary entry prior to his unexpected passing.
The Scottish chef
was most renowned for being one of the judges on MasterChef
Australia
, having joined in 2019
next to Melissa Leong and Andy Allen
.
But in May 2023
It was reported that Zonfrillo passed away at the age of 46.
During the promotional tour for the series, he was discovered deceased in a hotel room in Melbourne, and the reason for his passing has remained undisclosed.
When his family issued a statement saying: “Our hearts are utterly broken, and we struggle to understand how we will navigate life without him. We are heartbroken to announce that Jock passed away yesterday.”
They included: ‘Many words could characterize him, numerous tales could be shared, yet presently we’re too overcome to express them.’
After two years since the loss of his wife Lauren, who he wed in 2017 and had two young children with, she has now granted her first television interview discussing Zonfrillo’s passing.
After Zonfrillo passed away, Lauren was in Italy with their children, having moved there shortly beforehand.
In an exclusive interview with Liz Hayes for a special episode of Seven News’ Spotlight series, she shared that her husband’s last words expressed his profound happiness at having established their young family—son Alfie and daughter Isla.
During the interview, Lauren revealed that she came across Jock’s diary after he passed away.
She clarified that Jock had kept a journal for a certain duration,
In his journal, he penned down his joy as we were settling in and expressed excitement over crafting these mini hybrid-Aussie-Italian-Scots kids, along with wondering about what Isla’s speech would sound like once she begins forming complete sentences.
‘He enjoyed tucking the children into bed each evening, doing all the voice characterizations for their storybooks. He shared his longing for these moments and how eagerly he anticipated reaching Italy, where the children were.’
She continued: “He penned… ‘Lauren doesn’t view herself this way, but I believe she’s accomplishing so much; she’s incredibly competent and I’m truly proud of her ability to tackle difficult tasks too,’ which has been very meaningful to me recently.”
Lauren mentioned that it was significant for her to read about ‘such an ordinary discussion.’
‘It was more like an encouragement saying, you’ve got this Lauren, because there have been numerous instances when I felt I didn’t,’ she mentioned additionally.
Lauren similarly discussed the heartbreaking events leading up to learning of her husband’s death.
After having difficulty reaching him, she requested that the hotel staff perform a wellness check.
‘I was now overcome with hysteria,’ she remembered.
Once the police arrived, they got in touch with Lauren to inform her about a ‘deceased male’ discovered in her husband’s room.
Upon returning to Australia and seeing her husband’s body again, Lauren mentioned that she pleaded with him for answers to ‘countless unresolved questions’.
Lauren tearfully talked about this instance, mentioning she could detect his ‘cologne and shampoo scent,’ and it appeared as though he was merely ‘resting.’
She mentioned, ‘He was still present. I genuinely sensed his presence. I assured him that everything would be fine, that I had control of the situation. I promised to ensure our children lead expansive lives. Regardless of circumstances, I emphasized that we would remain a family.’
Nevertheless, she struggled with the notion of feeling ‘damaged beyond repair’ after the loss of ‘the person I loved so deeply’.
Despite considerable speculation surrounding Zonfrillo’s demise—he had formerly discussed his struggles with drug addiction and some accounts indicated he might have been diagnosed with bowel cancer—Lauren dismissed the notion that his ‘demons finally caught up with him.’
She did not provide more specifics regarding the manner of his death, but shared what she had heard from the individuals who discovered him—that he seemed to have passed away calmly in his bed.
Zonfrillo is also survived by his two grown-up daughters, Ava and Sophia, from his initial two marriages.
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