Andy Allen thanks fans for their ‘overwhelming’ support following Jock Zonfrillo’s death and funeral

Masterchef judge Andy Allen has thanked his fans and followers for their support and kind messages following the death of his co-star Jock Zonfrillo.

Zonfrillo, who died on April 30 at the age of 46, was buried on Saturday morning in a private funeral surrounded by a small group of family and friends.

In an Instagram post shared Thursday night, Allen opened up about his grief as he expressed his gratitude to the “thousands” of fans who wrote their condolences.

“Mourning the loss of Jock will no doubt be an eternal process. The past few weeks have been the hardest there’s ever been,” said 35-year-old Allen.

“But reading the thousands of messages of support from family, friends and those who didn’t know Jock personally but still loved him is overwhelming and has not only helped me, but I’m sure others can cope with the difficult times.”

He concluded, ‘While I won’t be able to reach you all… thank you x.’

Allen’s caption was accompanied by a photo of him standing next to Zonfrillo, who appeared to be giving advice to the young celebrity chef while filming the reality cooking show.

Allen and his pregnant wife Alex Davey attended Jock’s private funeral on Saturday, where a number of close family and friends bid farewell to the celebrity chef.

He also carried Zonfrillo’s casket alongside the late star’s widow, Lauren Fried.

Zonfrillo’s coffin was covered with the Royal Banner of Scotland and decorated with white orchids. The Royal Banner was a nod to the chief’s Scottish heritage. He was born and raised in Glasgow.

The service included eulogies from Fried and Ava Zonfrillo, one of Jock’s adult daughters from a previous marriage.

Fried remembered her late husband as a sensitive man with a big heart.

“We were two halves who found each other at just the right time in life when we were ready,” she said.

“We were ready for that great love, to live an adventurous life, to become parents together, to dream things up and actually make them happen.”

Among those in attendance were Zonfrillo’s fellow Masterchef judges Melissa Leong – who was visibly emotional and comforted by her friends as she went in – Allen and his wife, former Masterchef judge George Calombaris and celebrity chef Shannon Bennett.

Other TV chefs who turned out to pay their respects included My Kitchen Rules stars Manu Feidel and Colin Fassnidge, as well as Miguel Maestre and Matt Moran.

Jimmy Barnes had arrived alone at the memorial, but was later joined by daughter Mahalia as they sang Amazing Grace together, while former Australian of the Year Grace Tame attended with her fiancé Max Heerey.

Wheelchair tennis champion and 2022 Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott also made an appearance.

Zonfrillo died on April 30 in his hotel room at Zagame’s House on Lygon Street in Melbourne’s Carlton and was found by police around 2am on Monday, May 1 – the same day Channel Ten was due to premiere the fifteenth season of MasterChef Australia.

They were responding to a welfare check requested by his wife, who was in Italy at the time with their son and daughter.

The media personality was slated for several publicity assignments for season 15 of MasterChef when he passed away suddenly.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal that when police entered the hotel room to conduct a welfare check, officers believed Zonfrillo had died of natural causes and found nothing to suggest otherwise.

No drug paraphernalia were also found in the hotel room, sources said.

In the wake of the tragic news, Zonfrillo’s fellow Masterchef judges Melissa Leong and Andy Allen withdrew from all media appearances to promote the cooking show’s return.

The season premiere was moved to Sunday, May 7.

Zonfrillo is survived by his third wife, Lauren Fried, and his four children: adult daughters Ava and Sophia, from his first two marriages, and six-year-old Alfie and two-year-old Isla, with Fried.