'This is not the end of the line.' Jock Zonfrillo's wife shares tearful message to MasterChef fans.

It's a sad night for MasterChef Australia fans, as viewers bid farewell to judge, Jock Zonfrillo, who passed away earlier this year in May.

Jock was a beloved TV personality, celebrated chef, husband, and father to two young children. The celebrity chef was found dead in Melbourne in the early hours of 1 May 2023, the same weekend that MasterChef was due to premiere.

The reality TV season had already been filmed at the time of Jock's sudden passing. After a one week delay, the season has gone ahead as expected, acting as a memorial of Jock's time on the popular cooking show. 

Jock left behind his wife of six years, Lauren Fried, who has continued to post from the chef's Instagram account in the weeks since his death.

As MasterChef airs the final episode that's expected to feature Jock, Lauren shared a message with his fans on his Instagram. 

"Tonight is the MasterChef finale... as a family, we're going to try to watch it, we haven't been able to watch this season just yet. It's something we will try to do," she said.

"But we felt tonight was an important one to watch. Like most families, there's moments across the year that are special and we used to really enjoy watching the finale together.

"It was something Jock was really proud of; it was a job he really loved doing. We've decided we're going to honour that and do what we usually do -- watch the finale together."

Watch the full message from Lauren here. Post continues after video.

Lauren's message continued, "I've got so many messages off people today and through social and they all seem to be really sad... I just wanted to get on here and say, 'Yes, it is sad'," Lauren said, as she started to get emotional. 

"But this is something he loved doing and this is not the end of the line for Jock at all. We have so many wonderful recipes of Jock... [and] travel and family stuff that I would love to share with everyone." 

Lauren ended her message by saying that sharing Jock's content with fans has provided her with some solace. "It's very much a way I can find meaning through all of this," she said.

At the time of Jock's passing, Lauren was in Italy with their two children, Alfie and Isla.

Feature image: Instagram/@zonfrillo + Channel 10.