Why Jock Zonfrillo always carried worry beads: The MasterChef star was open about his battle with anxiety prior to his shock death at age 46
MasterChef Australia star Jock Zonfrillo was never seen without his worry beads, and even had different ones to match all his dapper outfits.
The 46-year-old star chef, who was found dead in a Melbourne hotel room at 2am on Monday, was open about how the accessory helped him cope with his anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder.
‘When I’m nervous or anxious, my brain would just start racing, like I’m thinking irrationally, so by using the worry beads, it calms that noise in my brain,’ he told Daily Mail Australia in 2021.
‘I’ve got a set of worry beads on me all the time, so if they’re not in my hand, they’re in my pocket. I’ve made so many types, they’re kind of weirdly an accessory.
‘On MasterChef, I’ve got different colours for different suits that I wear. So it’s not a flashing beacon that says, “I have a problem” or “I have anxiety”.’
MasterChef Australia star Jock Zonfrillo (pictured) was never seen without his worry beads, and even had different ones to match all his dapper outfits
‘When I am feeling anxious or a little bit stressed, I flick through them… the more anxious, the more worried I get, the faster I do it.’
He went on to explain that one of his favourite sets of beads had belonged to the late A. A. Gill, the celebrated British restaurant critic who died in December 2016.
‘These are very special to me. They were given to me by Nicola [Formby], who is the wife of the late Adrian Gill,’ he said.
‘I love them. You’ll often see they are always in my pocket.’
Zonfrillo previously told Mamamia’s No Filter podcast that he never thought I would have anxiety, let alone admit to it.
The 46-year-old star chef, who was found dead in a Melbourne hotel room at 2am on Monday, was open about how the accessory helped him cope with his anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder
After battling with addiction, Jock said his past life experiences had accumulated, eventually leading to his anxiety diagnosis.
‘I think I’ve worked my way up to it, to be honest. I’ve had so many things wrong with me over the years,’ he explained.
‘I’ve sat on a lot of sofas and talked about it to a lot of people that know about it a lot more than I do. But I think anxiety is something that really came in the last decade.’
Elsewhere in the interview, Jock spoke about suffering from imposter syndrome, especially after landing his role as a judge on MasterChef.
‘It’s a real working class problem to arrive somewhere and think that you’re not good enough,’ he confessed.
‘When I’m nervous or anxious, my brain would just start racing, like I’m thinking irrationally, so by using the worry beads, it calms that noise in my brain,’ he told Daily Mail Australia in 2021
‘I’ve got a set of worry beads on me all the time, so if they’re not in my hand, they’re in my pocket. I’ve made so many types, they’re kind of weirdly an accessory,’ he added
‘For me, I’ve done that my entire life. Every job I’ve got, I’ve felt like I wasn’t good enough to be there.’
Zonfrillo’s family issued an emotional statement soon after confirmation of his death, which was not being treated as suspicious by Melbourne police.
‘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,’ his family said in a statement.
‘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.
‘On MasterChef, I’ve got different colours for different suits that I wear. So it’s not a flashing beacon that says, “I have a problem” or “I have anxiety”‘
He went on to explain that one of his favourite sets of beads had belonged to the late A. A. Gill, the celebrated British restaurant critic who died in December 2016
‘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.’
They continued: ‘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.’
The Scottish-Australian chef and restaurateur became a host of the popular Channel 10 cooking show in 2019 alongside Andy Allen and Melissa Leong.
Zonfrillo, who started his career working under Michelin-starred chef Marco Pierre White in the UK, overcame an addiction to heroin during his teenage years in Glasgow before becoming one of Australia’s most celebrated chefs.
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‘When I am feeling anxious or a little bit stressed, I flick through them… the more anxious, the more worried I get, the faster I do it,’ he explained
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