{"id":209101,"date":"2025-10-13T01:53:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T01:53:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/209101\/"},"modified":"2025-10-13T01:53:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T01:53:10","slug":"jock-zonfrillos-daughter-flees-australia-and-reveals-why-the-devastating-death-of-her-masterchef-star-father-sparked-the-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/209101\/","title":{"rendered":"Jock Zonfrillo’s daughter flees Australia and reveals why the devastating death of her MasterChef star father sparked the move"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JIMMY BRIGGS, SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 20:22 EDT, 12 October 2025 | Updated: 20:49 EDT, 12 October 2025 <\/p>\n

The eldest daughter of late celebrity chef Jock Zonfrillo<\/a>\u00a0has revealed she is no longer living in Australia.<\/p>\n

Ava Zonfrillo, a 24-year-old PR guru, is now living in London and said it was an easy decision to relocate to the UK – the birthplace of her Scottish father.<\/p>\n

‘I think he would be really proud. I always knew I would live abroad at some point and he did too. He’d be in full support,’ she told this week’s Woman’s Day magazine.<\/p>\n

She added that moving to London had been a moving experience that made her feel closer to her dad.<\/p>\n

‘I was lucky enough to have travelled with Dad before. Going back felt like he was there with me, in a really comforting way,’ Ava said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ava also revealed what coping strategies she had used to help deal with the grief of losing her father in 2023.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"She <\/p>\n

The eldest daughter of late celebrity chef Jock Zonfrillo has revealed she is no longer living in Australia, as she speaks out the heartbreaking loss of her father<\/p>\n

‘It comes in waves. Everyone processes differently. I think it is more about allowing yourself the time and space to do it your way,’ she said.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

‘For me that meant leaving my full-time job to freelance and slow down a bit. It was public and hard to escape, I would often find myself playing things back over and over.’<\/p>\n

Ava finished by saying she helped ensure the recent release of the cookbook Jock was working on at the time of his death – Recipes to Remember – as a tribute to him.<\/p>\n

‘Food has always been a connection point and a lot of our big family conversations have been in or near the kitchen,’ Ava concluded.<\/p>\n

Ava is the daughter of Jock and his first wife Amanda Ewing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She followed in her father’s footsteps into the culinary world, initially working in hospitality public relations.<\/p>\n

The 24-year-old graduated from the University of Technology Sydney in 2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In May 2023, Jock was laid to rest in a private funeral in\u00a0Sydney<\/a>\u00a0surrounded by 200 family and friends.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

Ava Zonfrillo, a 24-year-old PR guru who is living in London, admitted it was an easy decision to relocate to the UK, the birthplace of her Scottish father<\/p>\n

She added that moving to London had been a touching experience that made her feel closer to her father\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the time of his death, Jock’s wife Lauren Fried had been in Italy and reportedly became concerned when her husband failed to keep to their usual daily schedule of telephone calls<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A senior Victoria Police source told Daily Mail that officers who attended Zagame’s House in Carlton found him dead in his bed and saw no obvious signs of anything suspicious or unusual.<\/p>\n

Pallbearers included Lauren and co-host Andy Allen and attendees included a Who’s Who of the Australian culinary scene.<\/p>\n

There was no drug paraphernalia located, no one else in his room and police at the scene formed the initial view Jock had died of natural causes.<\/p>\n

Before his death, Jock had been preparing for the launch of MasterChef’s 15th season, which was set to premiere the night his body was found<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He was also in the early stages of planning a new restaurant and had started working on a cookbook prior to his death.<\/p>\n

Jock left behind four children: Ava, Sophie, Alfie and Isla.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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