Lauren Fried, who was married to late MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo, has shared a tearful video ahead of the final episode of the season, revealing that she and her family are going to try and watch it together.
In May this year, it was announced that Zonfrillo, a chef and author, had died at the age of 46.
A statement released by his family read: ‘With completely shattered hearts and without knowing how we can possibly move through life without him, we are devastated to share that Jock passed away yesterday.’
They continued: ‘So many words can describe him, so many stories can be told, but at this time we’re too overwhelmed to put them into words.
‘For those who crossed his path, became his mate, or were lucky enough to be his family, keep this proud Scot in your hearts when you have your next whisky.’
The news of Zonfrillo’s death came hours before the new season of MasterChef Australia was due to begin, with the premiere of the series being delayed and attracting hundreds of thousands of viewers when it eventually aired.
Zonfrillo was married to Fried from 2017 until his death, and the couple had two children together. The late MasterChef judge also had two children from a previous marriage.
In a video posted on his Instagram page, Fried addressed everyone who has sent her and her family messages of support.
‘Tonight is the MasterChef finale. It’s on at 7.30 on Ten. As a family we’re going to try and watch it. We haven’t been able to watch this season just yet. It’s something we will do, but we felt that tonight was an important one to watch,’ she began.
‘This, like most families, there’s moments across the year that are special, and we used to really enjoy watching the finale together. It was something Jock was really proud of. It was a job he really loved doing. And so we’ve decided that we’re gonna honour that and we’re gonna keep doing what we would normally do and watch the finale together.’
Fried explained that of the ‘many messages’ that she had received from people on the day of the finale were ‘really sad’.
‘And so I just wanted to get on here and say, yes, it is sad,’ she said, as she broke down in tears.
‘But this is something he loved doing, and this is not the end of the line for Jock at all. We have so many wonderful recipes of Jock having fun, of travel and family stuff that I would love to share with everyone, and it’s very much a way that I can find meaning through all of this.’
In the final part of her video, Fried informed her viewers that she’d had a slight break behind the scenes, as she needed a minute away from the camera.
‘I really wanted to do this without editing, but I needed to take a minute,’ she shared, before concluding by saying: ‘Thank you everyone. I’ve loved the messages I’ve received today. Of course, it’s made me sad but from that comes a lot of happiness and pride for Jock. So enjoy the finale.’
Jamie Oliver commented underneath the video, writing: ‘Thinking of you all today….amazing message.’
One supportive message read: ‘You are an amazing lady. No wonder he loved you so much. ❤️❤️,’ while another stated: ‘I am sad this is the finale because it means we can’t see him on MasterChef anymore ❤️ I thought I’d not be able to watch this season but I have and I have loved seeing Jock ❤️.’
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