The widow of MasterChef host Jock Zonfrillo has shared an update on how their two young children are coping with the loss of their father.
Zonfrillo died in a Melbourne hotel room on April 30, while doing press for the upcoming season premiere of the popular cooking show.
His sudden death struck a chord with Australians who poured out tributes to the Scottish chef who became a comforting face in their lounge room each week.
The 46-year-old had only returned briefly to the country while leaving his wife Lauren and their two young children Alfie, five, and Isla, two, back in Italy where they had been holidaying.
In a post shared to her late husband’s Instagram on Monday, Ms Zonfrillo revealed a sweet request their five-year-old son Alfie made recently.
“Alfie has asked me to do some of his Papa activities with him – making crepes and doing hours of Lego were in his requests,” she wrote in the caption.
“I went with the easiest option of a trip to the barber, which the boys used to do together, followed by gelato.
“It put a smile on his face, which was beautiful.”
The post featured a carousel of photographs showing the little boy’s face split into an adorable smile while seated in the barber’s chair and another with his face hidden behind a scoop of gelato.
It came hours before fans watched Jock appear on their TV screens for second to last time ahead of the MasterChef season finale on Sunday.
The episode featured a particularly emotional scene in which Zonfrillo broke down in tears over letters sent in by the families of the final four contestants.
The letter belonged to Brent Draper, and detailed how proud his wife and son – also named Alfie – were of the way he had overcome his mental health battled in recent years.
Fans took to social media to share how challenging the scene was to watch, almost two months after his sudden death.
“Tonight broke me. When Brent was reading his letter and jock was tearing up,” they said.
“All I could think of was Jock’s family. I bawled my eyes out.”
“This episode really hit it hard for me with the love and letters from their families, when I saw Jock tearing up, I lost it and started crying when I saw him, Realising that soon he will be gone and he has no idea,” a second person wrote.
The show’s grand finale – the final episode featuring the late chef as host – airs on Sunday.