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Jock Zonfrillo's wife breaks down over MasterChef finale: 'Made me sad'
Sunday night's finale was the celebrity chef's last MasterChef appearance.
Jock Zonfrillo's wife, Lauren Fried, broke down in tears on Sunday night as she prepared to watch the late MasterChef judge's final episode on the show following his shock death in May.
Lauren, who has been keeping Jock's Instagram account alive, shared a video revealing she and their two children haven't watched an episode of MasterChef this season but would be tuning in for the finale.
"As a family, we're going to try to watch it," she said. "We haven't been able to watch this season just yet, something we will do, but we felt that tonight was an important one to watch.
"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. So, we've decided we're going to honour that and we're gonna keep doing what we would normally do and watch the finale together."
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She continued, thanking Jock's fans for sending her messages, saying that many of them have been 'sad'.
"So, I just wanted to get on here and say, yes, it is sad," as she began crying. "But this is something that 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, of family stuff that I would love to share with everyone.
"It's very much a way that I can find meaning through all of this."
Lauren added, "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."
Many of Jock's friends and fans shared messages of support for Lauren, with Jamie Oliver writing, "Thinking of you all today….amazing message."
"Watching [with] a whiskey now," Colin Fassnidge added.
"Oh sweet person you," Martin Boetz said.
"You are incredible!" one user said. "The energy and compassion that Jock brought to that show, with Andy and Mel, is what sets it apart from anything else. It’s hard to imagine what it would be like without his magic, and I’m sure you and the kids are incredibly proud of his work on the show and with the contestants. Biggest hugs to you all tonight, we’ll all be watching and keeping you close in our thoughts."
"I am sad this is the finale because it means we can’t see him on MasterChef anymore," another said. "I thought I’d not be able to watch this season but I have and I have loved seeing Jock, I had a tear when he was in his kilt at the semi final challenge. I don’t want it to end."
"What an amazing human you are," a third said. "Thank you for the openness, the vulnerability and generosity in sharing yourself and your words with us amongst the pain and grief you’re experiencing. Sending all the love your way!"
'Give it up for Jock Zonfrillo'
Following the finale celebrations, Ten shared a heart-wrenching montage of Jock's most memorable moments from the show.
The tribute opened with Gordon Ramsay announcing Jock as one of the three new MasterChef judges in 2019, with the late chef saying he values ‘honesty’ above anything else in the kitchen.
“Food’s been my entire life,” Jock could be heard saying over the montage. “The most important thing to me is giving back in the kitchen.”
Behind-the-scenes clips showed Jock’s cheeky personality, goofing around with fellow judges Andy Allen and Melissa Leong between takes and giving the camera a little smirk here and there.
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It ended with a message from Jock to the contestants, where he said: “For the last time, go home, make yourselves a cup of tea, put your feet up and be kind to each other, we’ll see you back here tomorrow”.
A photo of the whole crew then appeared on the screen, with the words 'Give it up for Jock Zonfrillo', his famous saying whenever anyone left the MasterChef kitchen.
Viewers were left in floods of tears, with one person writing: “Well the end was tough to watch, but beautiful. Far out Jock will be missed in every conceivable way. Gorgeous man gone too soon.”
“That was a beautiful tribute to Jock. Give it up for Jock Zonfrillo,” another person said.
Others said they were ‘left weeping’ while another said: “I’m a crying mess right now but I’m so glad they did that."
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