MasterChef star Jock Zonfrillo’s wife addresses his cause of death in 7NEWS Spotlight interview

The wife of celebrity chef and MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo has opened up about his shock death, publicly answering questions about his cause of death for the first time.

Zonfrillo, 46, was found dead in a Melbourne hotel room in May 2023.

His sudden death shocked his fans and his family, with his wife Lauren Zonfrillo and their two children on the other side of the world in Italy when the discovery was made.

Zonfrillo’s cause of death has never been disclosed.

It was revealed earlier this year that a coroner’s investigation had been completed in August 2024 but that it was decided the findings would not be made public.

In Victoria not all coronial findings are required to be published, and a coroner may determine that non-publication is in the public interest.

Sources close to the family had previously said the popular chef had died of natural causes.

Speaking to Liz Hayes in a 7NEWS Spotlight special on Sunday night, Lauren said she’d chosen to keep her husband’s cause of death private following discussions with the coroner.

‘Since we lost Jock, I’d been trying to reclaim some of his privacy’

Lauren said she wanted to give Jock, who had been further thrust into the public eye after joining the MasterChef Australia judging team in 2020, some semblance of privacy.

“We spoke to the coroner multiple times because the inquest took a while and it was just sort of agreed that for the privacy and safety of our family, because really the kids and I were the focus … that it wouldn’t be in the public’s best interest or our best interest and that was determined well before the report was finalised,” she said.

“I respect that decision. That’s what I wanted and was grateful for it because the way that I’ve looked at the last two years is that up until Jock’s death, yes, he was a public figure.

“But, since we lost Jock, I’d been trying to reclaim some of his privacy and that gives us privacy, but also to give him some peace as much as I can and to us, he’s Dad, Papa, husband, and he’s not a public figure to us anymore.”

Lauren said she was aware about the immense public interest and speculation surrounding Jock’s death, saying strangers often come up to her and ask how he died.

While Jock was very open about his past demons, including his battle with heroin addiction, Lauren didn’t want to decide if his cause of death was something he also would have shared.

“He made those decisions on what he was willing to talk about and I now don’t want to make those decisions because I don’t know which ones he does and doesn’t want to talk about,” Lauren said.

“So we just decided if it wasn’t in the public domain because Jock didn’t put it in the public domain, then we wouldn’t contribute in any way and that was just a really clear way of knowing that we’re just not gonna make comments about anything that’s personal to Jock that he hasn’t brought up before.”

‘Something wasn’t right’

When Jock died there was nothing to suggest he was struggling with his mental health in any way, Lauren said.

“He wasn’t at that point at all where I worried about him. He had a great perspective on life,” she said.

“He was very much present with the kids and we were in the dream state of going, ‘we’re gonna go move to Rome. Can you believe it?’.”

In 2023, the Zonfrillo family packed up and moved to Rome permanently. Jock had Italian heritage and he wanted his kids to grow up there.

The chef, originally from Glasgow, had also hoped to retire in Italy however planned to first continue in his judging role on MasterChef Australia.

In April 2023 Jock was in Melbourne to promote the new season of the show, while Lauren and his children — Alfie, 7, and Isla, 4 — stayed behind.

Jock and his family FaceTimed each other every morning, a daily ritual that only stopped on Sunday, April 30.

“We woke up and I called Jock, and he missed the call, like he didn’t answer it,” Lauren said.

“And, I mean, I know it’s wildly dramatic, but something had shifted. Something wasn’t right. And I sort of sat there going, ‘what’s going on?’.”

Lauren tried to call the hotel to see if they could investigate but staff didn’t believe she was Jock’s wife — instead thinking she was a fan.

“I was now hysterical and I said, it’s my husband, I’m on the other side of the world with two young children, and I’m really concerned something is wrong, I don’t know what I need from you but maybe just knock on his door or do something, and they said to me ‘look his lights are on, he’s fine, he must be in his room’.”

Lauren finally decided to call police for a welfare check.

She was informed of the outcome a few hours later.

“I do remember the call very well because I collapsed and then I said to the policeman “I need you to call me back. Like, telling me you entered my husband’s room and there’s a deceased male, makes no sense to me at all.”

‘I stayed in shock for a very long time’

Lauren said she went into shock, convinced the police had got it wrong.

“I stayed in shock for a very long time. Possibly up to a year to be honest. There were a lot of hysterical tears of course but I needed to get out of there. I needed to make some really important calls and I needed to get on a plane.”

One of those calls she made was to Jock’s close friend and MasterChef co-judge Andy Allen.

Allen said he had a physical reaction to the shocking news.

“As soon as I got off the phone, I ran straight to the bathroom and I vomited everywhere,” he said. “It was like it hit me then and there straight away.”

Jock and Allen had lunch together just hours before he died.

Allen said there was no indication anything was wrong with Jock.

“That’s the thing that hurts the most because it was so sudden.”

‘It was just like Jock was sleeping’

Recalling the moment Lauren came back to Australia and saw her husband’s body at the coroner’s court, she said he looked “completely normal”.

“Jock was in his pyjamas. I could smell his aftershave. I could smell his hair product. It was just like Jock was sleeping,” she said.

“I wanted to touch him but I was really quite scared and so I started with his hair, and then I could touch his face and then I kind of, was OK with it. But it was really my time to say goodbye to Jock.

“I told him it would be OK, that I’ve got this. I told him that I will make sure the kids live big lives and that, no matter what, we would be a family.”

Lauren was told her husband was not in any pain when he died.

“I said ‘did anything look like he might have been in pain?’, and they said ‘look ... there was nothing strange. The sheets were on him, everything was calm so, no’.”

While the family does have an answer about how Jock died, Lauren said knowing hasn’t helped ease her grief.

“I have an answer but it doesn’t make a difference.”

While the past two years have undoubtedly been tough on Lauren and her two children, they are now in a much better place, trying to find whatever joy they can in the little things.

This includes spending time at their happy places like Bondi Beach, with Lauren also joining a running club.

“That gave me habits, made me focus on my body, not just my mind all the time. I sat in my mind a lot. It made me stop drinking, made me eat healthy,” Lauren said.

“I think the kids have kept me pretty occupied and they see joy in such simple things. It’s hard not to share in it. And when your kids are happy, it’s wonderful.”

Lauren has written a book titled Till Death Do Us Part about her journey dealing with grief following Jock’s death, which was released this month.

While Jock’s sudden passing shattered the lives of his family and friends, Lauren said one glimmer of positivity has arisen from the heartache.

“I lost this dream of a life with a man I loved ... so it was just very brutal and very life-altering,” she said. “Then the greatest gift comes from the bit where I just wanted to get away from it and not run away from it because you can’t with kids.

“So I just had this unflinching commitment to focusing on things that matter. I think that I’ve been pushed right to my limit, and I was right on the cliff’s edge and I decided to turn around and walk away and that has made me understand, sadly, how far I can push my body and my mind and my emotions.

“I’m very capable and I can really deal with anything now.”