'Overwhelmed': Wife of late MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo speaks out

The wife of late chef Jock Zonfrillo has taken over his Instagram page to share a message with the public following the tragic passing of her husband.

Zonfrillo was found dead in his Melbourne hotel room on April 30, at age 46 and his death shocked the culinary world.

News of Zonfrillo’s death also broke just hours before the new season of Masterchef, which he appeared on as a judge, was about to air.

Now wife Lauren Fried has spoken out about how his death had affected her and that she is currently making plans for his social media and also upcoming unreleased projects.

“It’s been a month now since we lost Jock and I put a line in the sand thinking that at the one-month mark I would turn some sort of a corner, obviously that hasn’t happened,” Fried shared.

“There’s no time that I could allocate to say thank you to everyone. I just am overwhelmed by the messages that came in from people all over the world who knew him or didn’t know him.

“I wish he knew how loved he was and he knew the impact that he had on so many people.”

Fried asked the 394K Instagram fans of the chef whether or not she should continue to post updates on his social media or remove the accounts.

“Jock and I worked really hard on his social media and so I have to try to make a decision whether we keep it going or not,” she said.

“He had lots of projects he was working on - a lot that he had finished. I just don’t know what’s appropriate or what you guys want to see on here.

“So, you know, he’s got a lot of behind-the-scenes interviews and photos from MasterChef, he’s got books, a fashion range, he’s got spirits ageing in a distillery in Tassie.

“He’s got a TV show he filmed in Italy last year with the family. And so, as I kind of am pondering what is appropriate or not,” she continued.

“If I don’t really know what’s right I’ll put a poll up on here and you guys can tell me yes or no. And somehow we’ll work out if there’s a path forward here or if we don’t do anything at all.”

The post was flooded with supportive comments, with Masterchef Top 4 contestant Keyma Vasquez replying, “Loz lovely, follow your heart and anything you decide it will be supported by his friends, family and fans...”

Another added, “Show it all, we loved him.”

And chefs Gordon Ramsay, Manu Feildel and Andy Allen also shared their support with love heart emojis and positive messages.

Zonfrillo was laid to rest at an intimate funeral in Sydney on May 13.

It is understood Fried, who is also the mother to two of Zonfrillo’s four children, sent invitations to a select few to attend the private ceremony.

News.com.au reported at the time that there was no wake for the Scottish-Italian celebrity chef who had been secretly battling bowel cancer and is understood to have died of natural causes.

According to the Daily Telegraph, attending the service, in which Zonfrillo’s coffin was adorned with the Royal Banner of Scotland, were TV chefs Nigella Lawson, George Calombaris, Colin Fassnidge and Gary Mehigan.

It is understood his four children were at the service, as well as MasterChef co-judges Andy Allen and Melissa Leong.

Zonfrillo’s sudden death resulted in an outpouring of grief from celebrity chefs, the entertainment industry and, of course, his family.