How Jock Zonfrillo helped MasterChef’s Julie Goodwin through her ‘struggles’

Content Warning: this article deals with mental health and may be triggering for some readers.

MasterChef’s Julie Goodwin has opened up about the compassionate support she received from the late Jock Zonfrillo during a challenging period in her life.

During a recent interview on The Project, the MasterChef winner revealed that Zonfrillo had consistently been a pillar of support for her when she struggled with anxiety and depression

“It was Jock with his openness about his own struggles that really became a massive part of my healing journey,” she said.

“He could see the struggle that I was having. He met me there and he made it okay for me to be here. He was just generous.

“When you cook for people, you can impact the people that eat your food, but when you teach people and when you mentor people and when you lift people up, and send them out into the world, you impact everybody.”

MasterChef winners and favourites share how Jock Zonfrillo changed their lives and the way they view cooking forever. pic.twitter.com/yMgFJGHsB0

— The Project (@theprojecttv) May 14, 2023

Goodwin later revealed her intention to pay tribute to Zonfrillo by tuning in to the new season of MasterChef, even though it may be emotionally challenging.

“With sadness in my heart, but with great respect and great love, I will watch and I’m not sure how I’ll manage,” she said.

“I am not sure how any of us will manage, but I believe that’s the right thing to do, is to let him teach and uplift people for this one last season.”

Zonfrillo passed away on Sunday, April 30 at the age of 46, triggering an outpouring of tributes in which fans and colleagues came together to share stories of his immense talent, generosity, and impact on the culinary world.

During an intimate funeral on Saturday, May 13, Zonfrillo’s wife Lauren Fried, and their four children, Eva, Sophie, Alfie, and Isla joined celebrity chefs George Calombaris, Manu Feildel, Shannon Bennett, and Colin Fassnidge in mourning the beloved Masterchef judge.

During her eulogy, emotions ran high as Lauren bid farewell to her beloved husband.

“I know days like this are meant to be a celebration of someone’s life, so I will try really hard to do that through my immense sadness,” she told fellow mourners, as per The Daily Mail.

“We are two halves that found each other at the exact moment in life when we were ready.

“We were ready for that big love to live a life of adventure, to become parents together, to imagine extraordinary things and to actually make them happen.”

Also in attendance were Zonfrillo’s MasterChef co-judges, Andy Allen and Melissa Leong as well as tennis icon Dylan Alcott and Australian singing icon Jimmy Barnes who performed Amazing Grace as the ceremony drew to a close.

The casket was adorned with a number of white roses and orchids and elegantly cloaked in a Royal Banner of Scotland as a tribute to Zonfrillo’s ancestry.

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