Latest news with #LaurenZonfrillo
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jock Zonfrillo's widow Lauren parties with Michael Clarke in Paris
Lauren Zonfrillo, the wife of late celebrity chef Jock, has been spotted partying in Europe. MasterChef Australia star Jock was found dead in a Melbourne hotel room in May 2023, after police were called to conduct a welfare check on the 46-year-old. After two years of dealing with the grief of Jock's passing, Lauren was all smiles this week when she was seen partying with cricket legend Michael Clarke in Paris. The former Australian captain took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a photo that showed him enjoying some downtime with pals in a Parisian bar. Michael looked chuffed to be in good company that included pals Nick and Amy Campbell and partner Arabella Sherborne. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Cuddling up close to Arabella at the edge of the group, Lauren was positively beaming as she posed for the happy snap. Lauren showed off her svelte frame in a sleeveless white playsuit that flaunted her trim and toned arms and shoulders. Arabella was seen clutching Lauren's arm as the five pals took time out to document the soiree. It comes after Lauren recently shared the harrowing final moments she spent with her MasterChef Australia star husband as she said goodbye to his lifeless body. Lauren raced home to Australia from Italy with the couple's two young children, where she was faced with seeing his body in a Melbourne morgue. She told 7NEWS Spotlight's Liz Hayes in May that she was full of fear – but needed to see her husband, and speak to him. 'I was scared of it, but it was just what I needed. It was just a very strange feeling' she said while tears rolled down her face. 'Jock was in his pyjamas. I could smell his aftershave. I could smell his hair product. It was just like Jock was sleeping. 'I went up to him, and I wanted to touch him but I was quite scared. And so I started with his hair, and then I could touch his face, then I was kind of, was okay with it. But it was really my time to say goodbye to Jock' she continued. 'He was still there. I really felt he was there. I told him that it will be okay, that I've got this. That I will make sure the kids live big lives. And that, no matter what, we would be a family.' Lauren said that she begged her husband to tell her what happened to him, and wished that he would reply. 'I asked him what the f*** happened, and I just wanted the words from him. He just looked completely normal to me. 'I could not undo what was in front of me. Like, I am broken now. That's it. There's no fixing me. This is the person I love that much, who cannot be there.' When asked to disclose Jock's cause of death, which has never been revealed, Lauren remained protective of her husband. 'A lot of people want to know the answer to that, I'm really aware of that. I've had a lot of experiences with people coming up to me, all strangers, and asking how Jock died, and it's very unsettling' she said. 'Jock was very open in what he was willing to talk about. And I now don't want to make those decisions, because I don't know what he does and doesn't want to talk about.' A fortnight after Zonfrillo's death his wife led about 200 mourners who gathered for a funeral at Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium at North Ryde on May 13. Among those who attended the service were celebrity chefs George Calombaris, Matt Moran, Colin Fassnidge, Manu Feildel and Shannon Bennett as well as Zonfrillo's co-stars Allen and Melissa Leong. Lauren delivered a eulogy before Zonfrillo's friend and fellow Scotsman, Jimmy Barnes, sang Amazing Grace with his daughter Mahalia. Before his death, Zonfrillo had been preparing for the launch of MasterChef's 15th season, which was set to premiere the night his body was found. He was also in the early stages of planning a new restaurant and had started working on a cookbook prior to his death. Zonfrillo and his wife, who married in 2017, had put their four-bedroom Carlton terrace up for rent ahead of a potential permanent move to Italy, where his father was born. Lauren also candidly opened up about life after Jock in her 2025 memoir Till Death Do Us Part.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MasterChef's Andy Allen reveals secret pact after Jock Zonfrillo's death
Australian TV fans were left in shock in May 2023 when it was revealed that fan favourite MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo had tragically died. The celebrity chef's passing came right as the series was to start airing it's 15th season, marking Jock's third year at the helm of the show. During his time on the series, he became extremely close friends with fellow judge Andy Allen, leaving the former MasterChef winner shattered by his untimely death. Andy has since revealed that he was one of the first people Jock's wife, Lauren Zonfrillo, called and leaned on after she received the devastating news. Jock's body was discovered in Zagame's House, a hotel in Melbourne, by police after conducting a welfare check. Lauren and the two children she shares with Jock, Alfie and Isla, were in Rome at the time of his death waiting for him to catch a flight the following day to begin their dream of splitting their time between Australia and Italy. Andy has now shared the moment he received the phone call from Lauren about Jock's tragic passing during an appearance on A Life of Greatness with Sarah Grynberg. The MasterChef judge described Jock's death as "the hardest thing I've ever been through", adding that Jock "was like the older brother that I never had," and that he learned so much from him and not just about cooking and food. RELATED: MasterChef's Andy Allen shares heartbreaking message to Jock Zonfrillo MasterChef fans 'heartbroken' after surprising tribute to Jock Zonfrillo: 'Wasn't expecting that' MasterChef's Andy Allen wasn't sure he'd return to show after Jock: 'Felt so wrong' "I just learned tonnes, and so, for him to pass away, it was shocking – A) that's my birthday, the 30th of April," he said. "B) I was with him the day before, I was the last person to see him, I had lunch [with him]. And then C) for it to play out in the public eye, it was crazy. The first 24 hours was something that I would never want to relive in my life." He added, "I remember Loz calling me from Rome, because the last bit of publicity that Jock had to do was on the launch day... and then Jock was on a plane to go and live in Rome for six months with the kids, and this was their dream to set up six [months] in Australia, six [months] in Rome... They'd been working on that for such a long time. "And I get a call at about 4:30 in the morning from Lauren in hysterics, and telling me what had happened. That Jock had passed away," Andy recalled. "I was then like, and I suppose this is my coping mechanism, but I was like, 'OK, what do you need?' And she was like, 'I just don't know what to do, because he's got a lot of press to do this morning, and I had a bit of press to do as well, and I was like, 'OK, I'll go do his press.' Because she didn't want to go to [Channel] Ten and [say] this has happened, like, she needed to kind of get a plan together and deal with it." Andy continued, saying that knowing Jock had died while doing his press was incredibly difficult. He explained that he was living in Carlton at the time and when he was on his way to do press that day, of all the ways his Uber driver could go, he passed Zagame's House where Jock had died. "I was trying so hard to get in the zone and get done what I needed to do, and somehow did this press until nine o'clock and obviously hadn't told anyone, and that was like step one, get that done, then start the grieving process," he explained. Andy explained that he did everything he could to be there for Lauren and Jock's children that it "prolonged my grieving process". He shared that there was a moment where he and his wife were in Europe together and it was Jock's birthday and a few other big moments had just happened, and he "just lost it". "I just broke down," he said. "And I think from then on, I wasn't okay, I realised I wasn't a great husband, I wasn't good to the people that are around me. And I just think it was because of that first period of just, like, looking out for everyone else, making sure that they're okay, I realised that I hadn't really grieved myself. And then it was like, yeah, I needed to work on myself, because I wasn't an amazing person." Andy also shared that he was asked by Lauren to stand beside Jock's daughter Ava while she gave her eulogy on the day of his funeral. He said, "Jock's funeral was another tough one, but I'm proud of the part that I could play – for Loz to go, 'Stand next to Ava, if she needs you to take over, take over,' and the absolute legend crushed it, she didn't need me." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lauren Zonfrillo (@laurenzonfrillo) Andy also added that it feels "really special" to know that he has had a positive impact on Jock's children and that he always tries to stay involved in their lives. He finished by saying he is "in awe of how Lauren's handled the whole situation." SHOP: 🍅 Aussie mates' business idea to take on big supermarkets: '44% cheaper than Coles' 🧽 Aussie mum's $6 solution to most hated household chore: 'It smells incredible' 🩲 'Favourite' Aussie brand slashes prices by 30 per cent: 'Available in XS to 2XL' Lauren, meanwhile, has praised Andy for the "safety and care" he brings to her and her children in a poem she shared on Instagram. She wrote, "You are strong and unknowingly wise, you have done anything I ask, all unreasonable on reflection, but you turn up for us, every time."
News.com.au
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
MasterChef's Andy Allen recalls 4:30am call from Jock Zonfrillo's widow after his death: ‘In hysterics'
MasterChef Australia judge Andy Allen has recalled the heartbreaking phone call he received from Jock Zonfrillo's wife, alerting him of the beloved chef's death. Speaking on the A Life of Greatness with Sarah Grynberg podcast, Allen detailed the early morning call he got from Italy with Lauren Zonfrillo on the other end delivering the sad news. In the distressing long-distance call from two years ago, Lauren also asked Allen for a favour to bide her some time to grieve privately before she told Network Ten about her husband's death – and Allen, who was also Jock's best friend, did all he could to support her. 'I get a call at about 4.30 in the morning from Lauren in hysterics and telling me what had happened, that Jock had passed away,' Allen shared on the podcast episode, which aired Tuesday. 'I was then like, 'What do you need?' And she was like, 'Well, he's got a lot of press to do this morning.' And I had a bit of press to do as well. I was like, 'OK, I'll go do his press' because she didn't want to go to Ten … she needed to get a plan together.' Reflecting on what transpired, Allen says he doesn't know how he soldiered on in the promotional trail, which fell on the eve of the show's season premiere in April 2023. 'That was the hardest thing,' Allen recalled. 'Crazy how it all works because I remember I was living in Carlton at the time and there are so many ways to get to Carlton from here. It was actually here in this [Melbourne] building that I had to come to do press.' 'And of all ways, the driver took me past the hotel where Jock had passed away. Talk about just being rattled again. I was trying so hard just to kind of be in the zone and get done what I needed to do.' Allen said no one else knew of Jock's passing at the time and he continued to do press interviews pretending that everything was OK, despite Jock being found unresponsive in Zagame's House hotel on Lygon Street. His cause of death has never been publicly disclosed. 'Obviously, I hadn't told anyone,' Allen remembered. 'That was like, step one: get out – done. Then start the grieving process. For me the grieving process has been such a journey.' Allen said in the six months after Jock's death, he tried to be there for other people, but it only put off his need to work through his own grief. 'I always wanted to be there for Loz and the family and do whatever I needed to do. But I think that prolonged my grieving process,' he said. 'I remember being in Europe with my wife and there was like three things that happened in a very short space of time. [The death,] it was Jock's birthday and I think we won another Logie or something. That were three really big things that happened and I just lost it. I just broke down.' The MasterChef judge and food critic says he wasn't OK and realised he was neglecting himself and his marriage, while looking out for everyone else. So he took time to really work on himself, with therapy helping significantly. 'I still miss Jock every day, but I've learnt [there's] so much more to celebrate,' he said on the podcast. 'Sure, there's days where I have really bad days. But life is short, and [Jock] had a life and was so amazing at that life, and I want to celebrate that.'
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
MasterChef star Andy Allen six-word message to Jock Zonfrillo's widow Lauren after she speaks about his death for the first time in TV interview
MasterChef Australia star Andy Allen has praised Lauren Zonfrillo, the widow of his late co-star Jock. Jock, who was found dead aged 46 in a Melbourne hotel room in 2023, co-judged alongside Andy on hit cooking show MasterChef Australia from 2020 up until his death. Taking to Instagram on Thursday, Andy, 37, shared a photo that showed him holding a copy of Lauren's recently released book Till Death Do Us Part, in which she candidly opens up about life after Jock. Andy praised Lauren's candid account, offering a simple six word review. 'In awe of you @laurenzonfrillo,' Andy wrote, while urging his 385,000 followers to pick up a copy of the memoir. It comes after Andy recently opened up about his final meeting with Jock, revealing he saw the late celebrity chef just a couple of hours before he died. In a sit-down interview with 7NEWS Spotlight earlier this month, Andy, 37, recalled how he met Jock for lunch the day before his body was discovered. 'I've got hairs standing up already,' he told Liz Hayes as he looked back on his and Jock's final meal together, a moment he reflects back on a lot. Andy went on to reveal he had no idea that there was anything amiss during his last meeting with the celebrity chef. 'That's the thing that hurts the most,' he told Liz with tears in his eyes, '(be)cause it was so sudden.' Elsewhere in the heartbreaking interview, Andy recounted the moment he was given the news of Jock's passing by Lauren. The chef admitted the grief of losing his close friend hit him 'straight away', a feeling that made him instantly ill. 'As soon as I got off the phone, I ran straight to the bathroom and I vomited everywhere,' he said. Andy also shared how he still grieves his friend daily. 'I always think of him. And I miss him, I miss him so much. It's crazy that that never goes' he said. 'That being reminded of him wherever I go and no matter what I do, it is still as strong as the day that he passed two years ago.' Andy's raw on-screen moment comes after he shared a heartfelt tribute to his late co-star on the second anniversary of his death. He also recently shared a throwback photo to social media of he and Jock 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. Last year, Andy told how it was 'really difficult' grieving in the public eye. '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 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 increments, just having a good old cry, then I would be quiet... then I would go again,' he shared. Jock was found dead at the Zagame's House hotel in Carlton, near Melbourne's CBD, at around 2am on May 1, 2023. 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'.
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Liz Hayes disappoints in ratings in first assignment with 7NEWS Spotlight after quitting rival 60 Minutes - despite 'powerful' interview with Jock Zonfrillo's widow Lauren
Liz Hayes' recent interview with Jock Zonfrillo 's widow failed to draw the expected crowds despite weeks of promotional build-up and hype in the media sphere. The 7NEWS Spotlight journalist, 68, spoke to Lauren Zonfrillo on Sunday about the devastating loss of her husband, who was found dead in a Melbourne hotel room around 2am on May 1, 2023 after police were called to conduct a welfare check. The interview, which is the first sit-down that the grieving widow has done since her husband passed away two years ago, was set to draw in the ratings as the promotional clips dubbed it 'one of the most powerful interviews of the year'. However, the segment was surprisingly out-rated by Nine's 60 Minutes, which aired during the same time slot and was previously fronted by Liz herself. It was revealed by that 7NEWS Spotlight was watched by 418,000 people on Sunday night while 60 Minutes was watched by 444,000, amassing an extra 26,000 views. Despite the ratings showing a slump, Liz was perfectly tipped for the interview after chatting to the late Jock Zonfrillo a month prior to his death for Spotlight's TV nemesis 60 Minutes. The 7NEWS Spotlight journalist, 68, spoke to Lauren Zonfrillo on Sunday about the devastating loss of her husband, who was found dead in a Melbourne hotel room around 2am on May 1, 2023 after police were called to conduct a welfare check. Pictured with Jock The journalist, who worked for Channel Nine for 44 years before quitting in February 2025, chatted to the celebrity chef in April 2023, however the channel decided against airing the interview. Liz announced a shock move to rival network Seven earlier this year. Two months after departing Nine, ending her decades with the network, the former 60 Minutes star has officially joined Channel Seven to work on current affairs show Spotlight. Spotlight executive producer Gemma Williams said it was a privilege to welcome Liz to the network's flagship news show. 'We're privileged to welcome Liz Hayes to 7NEWS Spotlight as a guest correspondent,' she said. 'Widely respected for her decades of experience, storytelling expertise and journalistic integrity, we look forward to collaborating with Liz on this special project.' Daily Mail Australia's Inside Mail earlier revealed that Liz's first assignment for Spotlight was the tell-all interview with Lauren Zonfrillo. On Sunday night, Lauren shared the harrowing final moments she spent with her MasterChef Australia star husband Jock as she said goodbye to his lifeless body. His grieving widow raced home to Australia from Italy with the couple's two young children, where she was faced with seeing his body in a Melbourne morgue. Lauren told 7NEWS Spotlight that she was full of fear - but needed to see her husband, and speak to him. 'I was scared of it, but it was just what I needed. It was just a very strange feeling' she said while tears rolled down her face. 'Jock was in his pyjamas. I could smell his aftershave. I could smell his hair product. It was just like Jock was sleeping. 'I went up to him, and I wanted to touch him but I was quite scared. And so I started with his hair, and then I could touch his face, then I was kind of, was okay with it. But it was really my time to say goodbye to Jock' she continued. 'He was still there. I really felt he was there. I told him that it will be okay, that I've got this. That I will make sure the kids live big lives. And that, no matter what, we would be a family.' Lauren said that she begged her husband to tell her what happened to him, and wished that he would reply. 'I asked him what the f**k happened, and I just wanted the words from him. He just looked completely normal to me. 'I could not undo what was in front of me. Like, I am broken now. That's it. There's no fixing me. 'This is the person I love that much, who cannot be there.'
