Lauren Zonfrillo, the widow of beloved MasterChef star Jock Zonfrillo, is sharing her deeply personal journey of grief and resilience in a newly announced memoir, Till Death Do Us Part.
The book, set to be published by Penguin Books Australia, explores the devastating aftermath of Zonfrillos’s sudden passing in April 2023 and Lauren’s path toward rebuilding her life for herself and their young children.
“It’s been really hard for me to explain how we got from absolute catastrophe to the new version of our life, which despite it all, is quite bright and optimistic,” she said in a post to social media.
“So I’ve written my book, which is (about) my journey through grief.”
“This is a book of my lived experience through traumatic loss, the kind of support that I was reaching out for in the shadows of grief, and being homesick for a life that didn’t exist anymore.”
Lauren also opened up about the difficult process of navigating her grief following the loss of her beloved husband and how she is working towards healing.
“I write about…the physical response to trauma which has impacted my memory and my mind and body,” she explained.
“I had our three and five year old’s who needed normal levels of parenting which at that age is quite a lot.
“And they needed extra care and nurture having to live with grief in their life.
“And that was at a time when I didn’t even change my clothes or wash my hair and it was all so overwhelming and lonely.
“But by building a bigger life I was able to make grief a smaller percentage of that and create a space for happiness and that’s where we are now.”
Fans were quick to praise Lauren for sharing her journey, with many expressing admiration for her strength and resilience.
“You are such an inspiration in how are walking this journey. Your invitations to Us all here to accompany you and together share in our own responses to his sudden death have been generous and heartwarming,” one wrote.
“In awe of you Loz and how you’ve forged a new way of living. Well done on the book. Looking forward to reading when it’s released.”
“You sharing the journey of your loss and pain will be without doubt a valuable anchor and a light for so many going through the process. Jock would be so proud of you and your children will know how incredible their mama is as they are growing older,” commented another.
“Incredibly strong and resilient Loz can’t wait to read it.”
Zonfrillo passed away on Sunday, April 30 at the age of 46 with his family confirming his sudden death in a statement at the time.
“With completely shattered hearts and without knowing how we can possibly move through life without him, we are devastated to share that Jock passed away yesterday,” the statement read.
“So many words can describe him, so many stories can be told, but at this time we’re too overwhelmed to put them into words.
“For those who crossed his path, became his mate, or were lucky enough to be his family, keep this proud Scot in your hearts when you have your next whisky.
“We implore you to please let us grieve privately as we find a way to navigate through this and find space on the other side to celebrate our irreplaceable husband, father, brother, son and friend.”