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Lauren Shares Heartbreaking Final Moments with Jock Zonfrillo Before His Mysterious Death

BBG News

Lauren Zonfrillo described the heartrending last moments she spent with her MasterChef Australia co-star, Jock, before he passed away, when she had to bid farewell to his unresponsive form.

46-year-old chef Jock Zonfrillo was discovered deceased in his Melbourne hotel room at around 2am on May 1st, 2023, following a wellness check by the police.

Hurrying back home to Australia from Italy, I, a heartbroken wife and mother of our two little ones, found myself standing before my beloved’s lifeless form in a Melbourne morgue. The reality of the situation hit me hard.

On Sunday, Lauren shared with Liz Hayes from Seven Spotlight that she was filled with anxiety, yet she felt compelled to be with her spouse and converse with him.

She confessed, “I found it terrifying at first, but it turned out to be exactly what I required. It was simply an incredibly unusual sensation,” she added as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Jock was dressed in his nightwear. The scent of his cologne and hair product filled the air, creating an atmosphere that felt as if Jock were resting.

She approached him, feeling the urge to connect physically but also fearful. Instead, she began by touching his hair, gradually moving on to his face. Over time, she found herself growing more comfortable with the interaction. However, it was the moment for her to bid farewell to Jock, which she proceeded to do.

He remained present. It seemed as if he were with me. I reassured him, telling him not to worry, that everything would be alright, that I would ensure our children lead fulfilling lives. Regardless of the circumstances, I emphasized, we would remain a united family.

I asked my husband to explain what had transpired with him, and I earnestly hoped for a response from him.

I inquired about what transpired, seeking his response. However, to me, he appeared entirely unremarkable.

I was unable to reverse the situation before me. To put it simply, I feel shattered now. There seems to be no mending for me. This is a person I care for deeply, who unfortunately cannot be present.

When questioned about the manner of Jock’s demise, a secret that had always been kept, Lauren chose to shield her husband’s information.

She mentioned that many individuals are curious about what happened to Jock, and she is fully conscious of this fact. Strangers frequently approach her, inquiring about the circumstances surrounding Jock’s death, which she finds quite uncomfortable.

Jock was quite forthcoming with his conversation topics. However, I’d rather not handle those decisions now, as I’m unsure about what subjects he might prefer or not prefer discussing.

Lauren mentioned that she possesses a solution regarding the cause of her husband’s death, yet it holds no impact on her healing journey.

There had been much discussion about what led to Zonfrillo’s unexpected passing, given his public battles with substance abuse and mental health issues.

He departed with Lauren and their two little kids, aged five (Alfie) and three (Isla), along with his daughters Ava and Sofia, who are from past relationships, still in his life.

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He bid farewell to Lauren, their five-year-old son Alfie, three-year-old daughter Isla, as well as his older daughters Ava and Sofia, who he shares a relationship with due to previous marriages.

Upon my husband’s unfortunate demise, I was in Italy at the time. A sense of unease crept over me when our routine daily phone conversations ceased to occur as scheduled.

According to a trusted insider at the Victoria Police, the officers who went to Zagame’s House in Carlton discovered Zonfrillo deceased in his bed. Upon examination, there were no apparent indications of anything questionable or out of the ordinary.

In his room, no signs of drug-related items were found, he was alone, and the officers on the scene initially believed that Zonfrillo’s death was due to natural causes.

Lauren refrains from sharing details about Zonfrillo’s reason for passing, and back in February, a representative from Victoria’s Coroners Court informed Daily Mail Australia that the results of the August 2024 inquiry wouldn’t be made public.

There’s some uncertainty about whether Lauren will disclose details about the events surrounding her husband’s death in her forthcoming book titled “Till Death Do Us Part”. A snippet from this book is featured in the latest issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.

In that extract, Lauren describes how she coped with her first birthday after Zonfrillo’s loss.

She shares that she broke into tears the evening prior and wept for extended hours while in bed. In an attempt to rest, she consumed a sleep aid. Upon waking up the following day, her tears resumed as soon as she opened her eyes.

This morning, my room was entered by the children, and without uttering a word, Alfie made his way downstairs, fetched two ice packs from the freezer, climbed back up, and informed me to apply them to my head.

Instead of asking me directly about my birthday, they inquired about when they could have a piece of my cake.

Alfie and Isla then went downstairs and made themselves breakfast.

She expresses, “I felt as though they ignored that it was my birthday, which only intensified my inability to hold back tears. Upon reflection, I realized they hadn’t grasped the significance of the day for me, and I found myself expecting them to understand like a six-year-old would.

Instead, she chose to turn off her phone so she could have a moment alone to shed tears and reflect on her feelings without interruptions from calls or texts.

She notes that she had approximately 90 minutes left before her scheduled birthday lunch with friends, so she got up from bed, swallowed a couple of beta-blockers and some CBD oil, took a shower, and requested an Uber.

Lauren cried upon encountering friends, among them Andy Allen – a former MasterChef judge who was also her late husband’s colleague – and his spouse Alex, during their shared lunch.

CBD (Cannabidiol) oil, derived from the hemp plant, is a prescribed remedy often utilized for managing epilepsy. Some individuals also opt to use it as a means to alleviate feelings of anxiety and discomfort.

Beta-blockers are used to lower blood pressure and heart rate but can also ease anxiety.

Initially, Lauren expected the toughest time to be during the first year following Zonfrillo’s passing, mainly due to the numerous ‘firsts’ she and her family would encounter without him. However, surprisingly, this wasn’t the reality.

She notes that while it might seem accurate for the initial celebration of Christmas or Mother’s Day, the truth is these special days recur annually, with some unexpected peaks (or ‘freak waves’) that she didn’t anticipate.

Lauren also describes how she handles raising two young children as a single parent.

‘An agreement I made with myself early on was that good enough was good enough,’ she writes. 

Among the special moments were arranging a cake delivery through UberEats for her son’s birthday, a tradition that had been handled by her spouse in the past.

As a lifestyle expert, I must confess that even someone like me, who runs a marketing and communications agency and often shares insights on the ABC’s Gruen program, found myself perplexed when attempting to switch on the Christmas tree lights this year. It serves as a gentle reminder that no matter how much we think we know, there’s always something new to learn!

‘I just keep telling myself that I am doing the best I can in this moment in time,’ she writes. 

As I gradually distance myself from the immediate shock of Jock’s passing, the significance of numbers seems to diminish for me. Instead, I find myself transitioning from focusing on mere survival and getting through each day, towards experiencing more freedom and relief from feelings of guilt.

As a devoted admirer, I was eagerly anticipating the commencement of MasterChef’s 15th season, a project that Chef Zonfrillo had been meticulously preparing before his untimely passing. Regrettably, the premiere coincided with the discovery of his body.

Apart from his untimely demise, he had been in the initial phases of setting up a new eatery and had already begun drafting a cookbook for it.

Zonfrillo and his spouse decided to list their four-bedroom home in Carlton as a rental property before considering a possible long-term relocation to Italy, the birthplace of his father.

Previously, it was disclosed by Daily Mail Australia that Zonfrillo was diagnosed with bowel cancer around mid-2021, having overcome a prior struggle with the same condition.

It’s important to note that cancer did not cause Zonfrillo’s death; instead, he informed his friends that it had been discovered following a regular colonoscopy examination.

One source mentioned that Zonfrillo generally hid his health issues from many of his friends and work associates. During periods when MasterChef wasn’t being filmed, he underwent treatments such as chemotherapy.

Two weeks following the demise of Zonfrillo, his spouse organized a funeral attended by around 200 mourners, which took place at Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium in North Ryde on May 13th.

At the event were famous chefs such as George Calombaris, Matt Moran, Colin Fassnidge, Manu Feildel, Shannon Bennett, along with Zonfrillo’s fellow cast members Allen and Melissa Leong.

At the event, Lauren served as one of the bearers carrying the casket and also spoke in memory of Zonfrillo. Before Jimmy Barnes, a friend and compatriot of Zonfrillo from Scotland, performed “Amazing Grace” together with his daughter Mahalia, it was her turn to speak.

In his 2021 memoir, Last Shot, Zonfrillo recounts his struggles with a heroin addiction that began during his teenage years while he was working as a chef in Glasgow.

Migrating to the north-western region of England, he began selling illegal substances like cocaine, along with other drugs, to augment his income. Later, he was dismissed from his job, and at the age of 17, he ventured towards London.

1994 saw Zonfrillo arriving at Marco Pierre White’s prestigious restaurant located within the Hyde Park Hotel. This encounter led to White, a highly respected figure, serving as a guiding influence in shaping Zonfrillo’s life.

At the age of 20, he relocated to Australia in 1996 and secured employment at Forty One restaurant in Sydney. There, his activities included using substances such as cocaine, pills, LSD, and cannabis.

As stated in his book, Zonfrillo managed to conceal his intense heroin addiction from everyone prior to his return to the UK in 1997, following the expiration of his visa.

He described his final use of heroin, which occurred in the restrooms at Heathrow Airport, prior to his return to Australia in early 2000.

In the year 2013, Zonfrillo established two of his own eateries, Orana and Bistro Blackwood, within Adelaide. An additional restaurant, Nonna Mallozzi, was introduced by him in 2018.

The latter lasted six months, Bistro Blackwood closed in late 2019 and Orana in March 2020.

2020 saw the addition of Zonfrillo to the MasterChef Australia judging team, alongside food critic Leong and restaurateur Allen, following the departure of original judges Calombaris, Gary Mehigan, and Matt Preston.

Till Death Do Us Part, published by Penguin Books Australia, will be released on May 6.

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2025-05-04 14:20

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