Melissa Leong has spoken about the death of Jock Zonfrillo for the first time – and what she insists will be the last.
The MasterChef Australia judge tells this week’s issue of Stellar Magazine why she has stayed silent until now, admitting that she’s copped some criticism about not speaking up when she’s normally so open.
‘It’s fairly obvious that I’ve chosen to keep that moment relatively private and I think that that’s a really important thing for me,’ the 41-year-old said.
‘It’s really important to me as I walk through life to try to honour what makes sense to me. And I reckon what will always make sense to me is to take a moment like this and be quiet and be private’.
Explaining why she’s maintained a dignified silence, Melissa added: ‘For me, the why is very simple: because it’s not my story to tell.
Melissa Leong has spoken about the death of Jock Zonfrillo for the first time – and what she insists will be the last. Pictured in Stellar Magazine
‘When someone leaves us, it affects so many people, whether or not it’s someone who has a public profile.
‘When someone leaves your life, it affects a whole community of people, and each one of them is dealing with that loss in a different way’ she went on.
‘I feel like it isn’t constructive to continue to vocalise the way that I might feel, because it may impede someone else’s process. And so this is what makes sense to me… to approach this moment in my time with respect and to go gently with it’.
Shortly following Jock’s death, Melissa was clearly deeply impacted, cancelling her appearance at the Sydney Opera House, where she was scheduled to host a live Q&A with American cookbook writer Alison Roman.
The MasterChef Australia judge tells this week’s issue of Stellar Magazine why she has stayed silent until now, admitting that she’s copped some criticism about not speaking up when she’s normally so open. Pictured: Melissa with Andy Allen and Jock Zonfrillo
Zonfrillo was found dead by police at a hotel in Melbourne’s inner-north at about 2am on Monday, May 1, the same day Channel Ten was meant to premiere the fifteenth season of MasterChef Australia.
In the wake of the tragic news, Leong and fellow MasterChef judge Andy Allen pulled out of all media appearances to promote the cooking show’s return.
Leong had shared a heart-wrenching tribute to Zonfrillo, expressing her disbelief and sorrow at the tragic loss.
In her Instagram post, Leong touched on how much Zonfrillo had altered her life after the two, alongside Andy Allen, replaced the hit cooking show’s previous judges in 2019.
‘Four years ago, the three of us stood on a precipice and jumped,’ Leong wrote.
‘I feel like it isn’t constructive to continue to vocalise the way that I might feel, because it may impede someone else’s process’ she said
‘It’s really important to me as I walk through life to try to honour what makes sense to me. And I reckon what will always make sense to me is to take a moment like this and be quiet and be private’ Melissa added
‘I could never have guessed how much of an impact your arrival in my life would have, or that we would be saying goodbye to you so soon. You were always supposed to be the bulletproof one who outlived us all,’ she wrote.
She then paid tribute to her co-host pushing her to strive for excellence ‘both in the kitchen and outside of it.’
‘Thank you for challenging me daily, for making me better, my work buddy and friend, purveyor of excellent morning coffees, hater of pears, okra and nasturtiums,’ she continued.
‘This all feels too raw too process still, I suspect it will for some time. Such is the impact of a life lived so large, with so much levity and entirely on your own terms.
‘My heart goes out to your family, who were and are your life. A wee dram for you today, and always.’
Zonfrillo is survived by his third wife, Lauren Fried, and his four children: grown-up daughters Ava and Sophia, from his first two marriages, and six-year-old Alfie and two-year-old Isla, with Fried.
Read more in this week’s issue of Stellar Magazine
