Heartbreaking moment MasterChef Australia judges break down as contestant Laura Sharrad feels Jock Zonfrillo's 'spirit' on set
Contestant Laura Sharrad, who was good friends with late judge Jock Zonfrillo, had viewers and the cast alike in tears after presenting a seafood pasta dish.
Laura became emotional as Andy, who was also deeply close to Jock, tasted the dish, with co-host Poh Ling Yeow realising that the pair were remembering their beloved mate, who died in 2023.
'I can feel this little electric current running from you to the dish to Andy. And it's Jock. I can really feel it,' Poh said.
Upon making the statement, Poh watched as Andy and Laura became tearful, and Laura was handed a napkin to dab her eyes.
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'I'm completely right, aren't I? I can actually feel it,' Poh said, referring to Jock's spirit.
Both Laura and Andy quietly agreed that something special had happened on set, with the dish Laura created reminding them of Jock.
'This dish is so clever because it's such a demonstration of you working smarter, not harder,' Poh complimented Laura.
Earlier this year, Andy shared a heartfelt tribute to his late co-star on the second anniversary of his death.
The celebrity chef, 37, who co-hosted the popular Channel Ten cooking competition alongside Jock from 2020 - 2023, shared a throwback photo to social media of them together and captioned it with some bittersweet words.
'Two years since we lost the great man, Jock Zonfrillo. I miss him more than ever,' Andy wrote.
The precious picture captured the pair beaming together as they proudly held up a string of sausages to the camera.
Many of Andy's celebrity friends took to the comment section to share their support.
Laura became emotional as Andy, who was also deeply close to Jock, tasted the dish, with co-host Poh Ling Yeow realising that the pair were remembering their beloved mate
Jock's widow Lauren posted a love heart emoji, as did celebrity chef Darren Robertson.
Beloved celebrity chef Jock was tragically found dead in a hotel in Carlton, near Melbourne's CBD, on April 30, 2023 - which was also Andy's 35th birthday.
Andy previously revealed the death of his close friend and co-star was the 'hardest time' of his life.
Last year, he opened up about losing Jock and told how it was 'really difficult' grieving in the public eye.
The TV personality candidly revealed it was the first time he had dealt with such a personal tragedy.
'It was the hardest time of my life, I had never had tragedy like that hit me so close, it was very uncharted waters and multiply that by it being in the public eye; it was really difficult,' he told the Herald Sun.
Andy said he didn't give himself a chance to grieve because he wanted to be there for Jock's family - his wife Lauren and their kids Alfie, eight, and Isla, four, as well as his adult daughters Ava and Sophia from past relationships.
He detailed his heavy emotional toll and told how he spent a 'full day crying' after travelling to Sicily to mark Jock's birthday.
'I spent a full day just crying, in a couple of hour-long increments, just having a good old cry, then I would be quiet... then I would go again,' he shared.
Andy said his grief only really hit him twice while shooting the latest series of MasterChef, which was also his first without his close friend Jock.
Andy previously admitted he almost didn't appear on the 2024 season of the cooking contest, but is 'so glad' he decided to push through the grief.
'It was tough. I didn't know if I was going to do it. I'm so glad that I did, but it was hard,' he told The Project.
Network 10 dedicated the fifteenth season to Jock and his family as they aired his scenes posthumously, acknowledging his 'sudden and tragic passing'.
At the time, his wife Lauren was in Italy with their two children and had phoned Victoria Police to request a welfare check because he stopped answering her calls.
Jock's death came just one day before the 2023 season of MasterChef was due to premiere, and it was delayed in arriving on air for a week 'out of respect'.
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