'It's tough': Masterchef judge reveals brutal coronavirus decision

New Masterchef judge Jock Zonfrillo has opened up about the ‘tough’ decision his family was faced with in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, revealing he has been forced to leave his pregnant wife and kids in Adelaide for their own safety.

The Scotsman had his debut alongside Melissa Leong and Andy Allen on Monday evening, to mixed but mainly positive reviews from die-hard fans of the 12-season show, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the chef.

The Adelaide-based restauranteur has already been forced to shut up shop at his renowned Restaurant Orana back home, and now says that because filming on Masterchef is ongoing, his family has to stay away.

Speaking with Hiit FM’s Bodge ahead of the premiere last week, the 43-year-old said the heartbreaking decision came about as the show continues shooting its twelfth season under strict social distancing rules.

Despite the severe restriction – 1.5 metres between all involved, no physical touching and separate plates and cutlery for the judges – he says his risk of exposure is too high to return home regularly.

“It’s tough for me personally,” he admitted. “My family, wife and kids, are in Adelaide while I’m here in Melbourne filming.”

The father of three is expecting his fourth with wife Lauren, a fact he says was the driving force behind the couple’s tricky choice.

“My wife’s pregnant so we made the decision to keep her in Adelaide with the kids and that way there was no risk,” he said.

The pair share a close bond which Jock has not shied away from expressing publically.

Back in 2016, he described her as “my favourite hello, and my absolute hardest goodbye” in a touching Instagram post that inadvertently hinted at the difficulty the latest decision must pose.

Making matter worse is the fact that the Glasgow-native’s own parents are still in Scotland, where he says they have also been forced to self-isolate after his father ignored social distancing advice.

“[Dad] was breaking rules and having cups of tea every day with the boys before golf, and he's exposed himself to a couple of guys now who have coronavirus, so he's currently in self-isolation,” Jock said.

The chef says family time is Facetime for him these days, as he continues shooting the beloved reality show under the strict new measures.

Shooting goes ahead under social distancing measures

Fans were initially shocked to hear the series was still shooting as more and more businesses are locked down during the pandemic.

Poh Ling Yeow, who was runner-up on the cooking show’s debut season, is one of 24 former contestants taking part in MasterChef: Back To Win which is scheduled to air mid-April, and revealed last week that the show was going ahead under new restrictions.

“It’s going ahead following all the government regulations for the virus,” Poh said.

The Poh & Co. star added that this season ‘looks a little bit different’ from previous ones due to the need to space contestants 1.5 metres away from each other as per COVID-19 guidelines.

Poh also explained how the trio of new judges — Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen — have adapted the way they sample the contestants’ dishes

The original judging panel — Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris — finished up last July after more than a decade on the screen.