Why MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo wasn't with family when he died

New details have emerged surrounding the sudden death of MasterChef Australia judge and celebrated chef Jock Zonfrillo.

According to news.com.au, the reason Zonfrillo was alone at a Melbourne hotel when he died was because he’d left a family holiday in Italy early to return to Australia for promotion of his show, MasterChef Australia: Secrets and Surprises.

Along with his wife, Lauren, and their two children, Alfie, 5, and Isla, 2, the Scottish-Italian chef had been enjoying a European break after wrapping filming for what was to be the 15th season of MasterChef.

But he’d returned home early to appear in a string of media interviews ahead of and following the first episode that had been due to air in Australia last night.

Photo / Facebook

Instead, police were called to his hotel room at 2am on Monday morning to conduct a welfare check. They discovered Zonfrillo’s body and, according to reports, are not treating the death as suspicious.

The acclaimed chef had shared a post to Instagram the night before his death: “The time has come for @masterchefau to kick off a new season filled with Secrets & Surprises! And @jamieoliver of course!”

His scheduled media appearances had included as a guest on Channel 10′s The Project.

Instead, the programme’s entertainment editor Angela Bishop found herself fronting the harrowing news of Zonfrillo’s death, something she said his colleagues were trying to process.

“They would work 16 hours days together for MasterChef,” she said of Melissa Leong and Andy Allen.

“You couldn’t find closer work mates and confidantes.

“They are devastated, ‘broken’ is the word described to me, they are trying to process this news.”

While the show has been postponed by a week in Australia, Leong has also put a trip to New Zealand on hold which was scheduled for the end of this week to promote the show airing here on May 7 on TVNZ 2.

TVNZ is yet to announce any changes to next Monday night’s screening but shared the news and a message of condolence to social media.

And a statement from Channel 10 and Endemol Shine Australia said: “Network 10 and Endemol Shine Australia are deeply shocked and saddened at the sudden loss of Jock Zonfrillo, a beloved member of the MasterChef Australia family.

“Jock was known to Australians as a chef, best-selling author, philanthropist and MasterChef judge, but he will be best remembered as a loving father, husband, brother and son.”

Survived by his wife, Lauren and four children Ava, Sophie, Alfie and Isla, who have released a family statement, Zonfrillo had moved his brood from Adelaide to Melbourne due to the demands of the show.

Photo / Supplied

And while his celebrity continued to rise from humble beginnings as a 14-year-old washing dishes to a position at Marco Pierre White’s three-star restaurant to opening his own award-winning restaurants in Australia and lastly, television fame, his final interview revealed what he really wanted: a simple life beyond the spotlight.

In an interview with News Corp Australia’s national entertainment writer, Lisa Woolford, understood to be the last article published before Zonfrillo’s death, he said he dreamed of “A small house in the middle of nowhere with kids, pets. Just a really simple, uncomplicated life away from everyone. But still part of a community in that remoteness I guess.

“But not the flashy extravagant lifestyle you’d expect from a TV person.”

In fact, he told Woolford, he’d be quite happy with “a cup of tea and a teacake”.

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.