Masterchef judge Andy Allen has thanked his fans and followers for their outpouring of support and kind messages following the death of his co-star Jock Zonfrillo.
Zonfrillo, who died on April 30 aged 46, was laid to rest in a private funeral surrounded by a small group of family and friends on Saturday morning.
In an Instagram post shared on Thursday night, Allen opened up about his grief while showing gratitude to the ‘thousands’ of fans who wrote their condolences.
‘Grieving the loss of Jock will no doubt be a forever process. The last couple of weeks have been the hardest there have ever been,’ Allen, 35, began.
‘However reading the thousands of messages of support from family, friends and those who didn’t personally know Jock but loved him all the same, has been overwhelming and helped not only me but I’m sure others cope with the tough times.’
Masterchef judge Andy Allen has thanked his fans and followers for their outpouring of support and kind messages following the death of his co-star Jock Zonfrillo
He concluded: ‘Although I won’t be able to get back to each and every one of you….thank you x.’
Allen’s caption was accompanied by a photo of himself standing beside Zonfrillo, who looked to be giving the young celebrity chef advice while filming the reality cooking show.
Allen and his pregnant wife Alex Davey attended Jock’s private funeral on Saturday where a number of close-knit family and friends farewelled the celebrity chef.
Allen’s caption was accompanied by a photo of himself standing beside Jock, who looked to be giving the young celebrity chef advice while filming the reality cooking show
He also carried Zonfrillo’s coffin alongside the late star’s widow, Lauren Fried.
Zonfrillo’s coffin was covered with the Royal Banner of Scotland and adorned with white orchids. The Royal Banner was a nod to the chef’s Scottish heritage. He was born and raised in Glasgow.
The service included eulogies from Fried and Ava Zonfrillo, one of Jock’s adult daughters from an earlier marriage.
Fried remembered her late husband as a sensitive man with a big heart.
Fellow MasterChef judge Allen is pictured carrying Zonfrillo’s coffin, which was covered with the Royal Banner of Scotland and adorned with white orchids
‘We were two halves that found each other in the exact right moment in life when we were ready,’ she said.
‘We were ready for that big love, to live a life of adventure, to become parents together, to imagine thngs and to actually make them happen.’
Among those who attended were Zonfrillo’s fellow Masterchef judges Melissa Leong – who was visibly emotional and comforted by her friends as she went inside – Allen and his wife, former Masterchef judge George Calombaris, and celebrity chef Shannon Bennett.
Other TV chefs who turned out to pay their respects included My Kitchen Rules stars Manu Feidel and Colin Fassnidge, as well as Miguel Maestre and Matt Moran.
Jimmy Barnes had arrived alone to the memorial, but was later joined by daughter Mahalia as they sang Amazing Grace together, while former Australian of the Year Grace Tame attended with her fiancé Max Heerey.
Wheelchair tennis champion and 2022 Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott also paid his respects.
Zonfrillo died in his hotel room at Zagame’s House on Lygon Street in Carlton, Melbourne on April 30 and was found by police at about 2am on Monday, May 1 – the same day Channel Ten was meant to premiere the fifteenth season of MasterChef Australia.
They were responding to a welfare check called in by his wife who was in Italy at the time with their son and daughter.
The media personality was scheduled for several publicity engagements for season 15 of MasterChef when he died suddenly.
Zonfrillo died in his hotel room at Zagame’s House on Lygon Street in Carlton, Melbourne on April 30 and was found by police at about 2am on Monday, May 1 – the same day Channel Ten was meant to premiere the fifteenth season of MasterChef Australia
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that when the police entered the hotel room to conduct a welfare check, officers believed that Zonfrillo had died of natural causes and didn’t find anything that suggested otherwise.
There was also no drug paraphernalia found in the hotel room, sources said.
In the wake of the tragic news, Zonfrillo’s fellow Masterchef judges Melissa Leong and Andy Allen pulled out of all media appearances to promote the cooking show’s return.
The season premiere was rescheduled to Sunday, May 7.
Zonfrillo is survived by his third wife, Lauren Fried, and his four children: grown-up daughters Ava and Sophia, from his first two marriages, and six-year-old Alfie and two-year-old Isla, with Fried.
In the wake of the tragic news, Zonfrillo’s fellow Masterchef judges Melissa Leong (left) and Andy Allen (right) pulled out of all media appearances to promote the cooking show’s return
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