Latest news with #LauraSharrad
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Heartbreaking moment MasterChef Australia judges break down as contestant Laura Sharrad feels Jock Zonfrillo's 'spirit' on set
MasterChef Australia judge Andy Allen has become tearful during an emotional moment on Wednesday's episode of the Back To Win season. Contestant Laura Sharrad, who was good friends with late judge Jock Zonfrillo, had viewers and the cast alike in tears after presenting a seafood pasta dish. Laura became emotional as Andy, who was also deeply close to Jock, tasted the dish, with co-host Poh Ling Yeow realising that the pair were remembering their beloved mate, who died in 2023. 'I can feel this little electric current running from you to the dish to Andy. And it's Jock. I can really feel it,' Poh said. Upon making the statement, Poh watched as Andy and Laura became tearful, and Laura was handed a napkin to dab her eyes. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'I'm completely right, aren't I? I can actually feel it,' Poh said, referring to Jock's spirit. Both Laura and Andy quietly agreed that something special had happened on set, with the dish Laura created reminding them of Jock. 'This dish is so clever because it's such a demonstration of you working smarter, not harder,' Poh complimented Laura. Earlier this year, Andy shared a heartfelt tribute to his late co-star on the second anniversary of his death. The celebrity chef, 37, who co-hosted the popular Channel Ten cooking competition alongside Jock from 2020 - 2023, shared a throwback photo to social media of them together and captioned it with some bittersweet words. 'Two years since we lost the great man, Jock Zonfrillo. I miss him more than ever,' Andy wrote. The precious picture captured the pair beaming together as they proudly held up a string of sausages to the camera. Many of Andy's celebrity friends took to the comment section to share their support. Laura became emotional as Andy, who was also deeply close to Jock, tasted the dish, with co-host Poh Ling Yeow realising that the pair were remembering their beloved mate Jock's widow Lauren posted a love heart emoji, as did celebrity chef Darren Robertson. Beloved celebrity chef Jock was tragically found dead in a hotel in Carlton, near Melbourne's CBD, on April 30, 2023 - which was also Andy's 35th birthday. Andy previously revealed the death of his close friend and co-star was the 'hardest time' of his life. Last year, he opened up about losing Jock and told how it was 'really difficult' grieving in the public eye. The TV personality candidly revealed it was the first time he had dealt with such a personal tragedy. 'It was the hardest time of my life, I had never had tragedy like that hit me so close, it was very uncharted waters and multiply that by it being in the public eye; it was really difficult,' he told the Herald Sun. Andy said he didn't give himself a chance to grieve because he wanted to be there for Jock's family - his wife Lauren and their kids Alfie, eight, and Isla, four, as well as his adult daughters Ava and Sophia from past relationships. He detailed his heavy emotional toll and told how he spent a 'full day crying' after travelling to Sicily to mark Jock's birthday. 'I spent a full day just crying, in a couple of hour-long increments, just having a good old cry, then I would be quiet... then I would go again,' he shared. Andy said his grief only really hit him twice while shooting the latest series of MasterChef, which was also his first without his close friend Jock. Andy previously admitted he almost didn't appear on the 2024 season of the cooking contest, but is 'so glad' he decided to push through the grief. 'It was tough. I didn't know if I was going to do it. I'm so glad that I did, but it was hard,' he told The Project. Network 10 dedicated the fifteenth season to Jock and his family as they aired his scenes posthumously, acknowledging his 'sudden and tragic passing'. At the time, his wife Lauren was in Italy with their two children and had phoned Victoria Police to request a welfare check because he stopped answering her calls. Jock's death came just one day before the 2023 season of MasterChef was due to premiere, and it was delayed in arriving on air for a week 'out of respect'.
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
MasterChef Australia fans are left fuming as they insist telling image reveals winner has been LEAKED
MasterChef Australia fans are fuming after spotting a detail that they believe reveals the winner of the 2025 Back To Win season. A promotional poster for the series shared earlier this year shows a number of contestants - and fans have noted that only one of the people pictured is still in the competition. Of the top nine still competing on the series, Laura Sharrad is the single contestant who featured on the poster and who also made it to the top ten. 'If you believe that the poster tells you the winner, Laura is the only one left from the promo poster. So I guess the winner has been announced,' wrote one fan on Facebook. 'I hope it's not her, she's painful. I'd love to see Callum win,' one more chimed in. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'I stopped watching because I'm sick of watching Laura cook and getting the most air time,' someone else wrote. 'When they start the program, Laura is holding up a trophy,' another agreed, referencing signs Laura wins. The promotional poster has long been the source of fan speculation. Taking to Reddit earlier this year, one fan of the beloved cooking show pointed out that the promotional picture on the network's streaming service 10Play featured mostly eliminated contestants, leading them to wonder whether it shone a light on who the winner would be. 'Has anyone noticed how many contestants on this advert for Masterchef on 10Play app has already been eliminated??' the Reddit user captioned the screenshot. 'Darsh, Steph, Sav and Tim all eliminated... could this be a sign?' they asked. The fan then went on to predict who may be facing the chopping block next based on the poster. 'Maybe Laura and Declan will be out the door soon too??' Other MasterChef devotees flooded the comments of the Reddit post with their takes on the theory. One person noted that the adverts were probably made before filming had commenced and therefore randomly featured. 'Think someone mentioned it already but [by] the time they made this [ad], they haven't finished filming. 'Thus they just put random people on the pic,' they said. Another person theorised that they used the most popular faces of the show for the poster. 'I think they just use whoever is most popular / easy to attract viewers rather than based on who makes it far (plus it's already mentioned these are done before filming is done),' they wrote. 'Steph has a huge IG following so makes sense why she's front and centre.' 'Laura definitely won't go before top 10,' another person confidently predicted.
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
MasterChef fans divided after Laura Sharrad wins challenge and has her dish stocked in supermarkets: 'So unoriginal'
MasterChef Australia: Back to Win contestant Laura Sharrad won the Coles challenge on Wednesday night's episode of the cooking competition. The 29-year-old from South Australia wowed the judges with a 'winter warmer' ice cream. Laura's unique spin on the classic dessert sticky date pudding will now be stocked on Coles shelves from Thursday. For her concoction, the MasterChef veteran, who has appeared in seasons 6 and 12, combined nine ingredients - including charred and pickled pineapple, rum and homemade caramel. However, Laura's challenge win has received a mixed reaction on social media, with some fans complaining that the flavour is 'too basic' and already widely available. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Other fans passionately argued that MasterChef India star Depinder Chhibber, who whipped up 'Masala Chai Ice Cream Sandwiches', was robbed of the win. Depinder's sweet treat included orange and cardamom sable biscuits, orange saffron mascarpone whipped cream, with an orange and saffron gel. 'What a fun cook today, a great way to celebrate ice cream and all of my favourite things in winter,' Depinder wrote as she shared the images of her ice cream to social media on Thursday. 'It should've been your ice cream there!' one fan commented with several crying emojis. 'So unoriginal,' one fan complained of the Sticky Date flavour. 'Should've been Depinder.' 'How is sticky date pudding a unique flavour?' another added. 'GET THESE IN MY BELLY ASAP,' one fan told Depinder, while another said, 'Omg!! The ultimate fix for your Indian food cravings, all in one,' another wrote. Fans clamoured into Depinder's comments section to request the recipe. Other flavours in the mix included Beau's 'spider' inspired cola and vanilla ice cream, Ben's tropical banana and coconut, Jamie's Queensland rum Dark and Stormy and Declan's childhood nostalgia choc fudge and hundreds and thousands sugar hit. But there was also plenty of praise for Laura, from both fans and the judges. 'If I was competing against you today, I'd be really annoyed that I didn't think of that,' judge Poh Ling Yeow gushed as she delivered her verdict on the delicious treat. Guest judge Curtis Stone was equally impressed saying: 'The idea of turning a quintessential winter pudding into an ice-cream is really smart. 'What you've done is, you've given us all those flavours we love. The butter, the richness, the caramel, the dates, and you've turned it into this velvety masterpiece.' Laura went on to describe the win as 'surreal'. 'Such an incredible opportunity that usually takes years to get to this stage, so to have the opportunity to do this in such a short amount of time is truly special,' she said. Laura's Sticky Date Pudding & Butterscotch Sauce Ice Cream will be at Coles stores nationwide for a limited time from June 26 and will cost $8 a tub.
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
MasterChef Australia fans notice bizarre detail in the show after fan favourite's heartbreaking elimination
Fan favourite Rue Mupedzi ended her MasterChef Australia Back to Win season with a heartbreaking elimination this week. But according to one eagle-eyed viewer, the 'dessert queen' had more than her fair share of screen time before hanging up her apron. The dedicated fan, who shared his findings on Reddit, noticed that it has been Rue who has been featured in the confessional spots 71 times over the last five weeks. Featured throughout each show, the short segments have contestants sharing their feelings about each challenge as the action in the kitchen unfolds. And according to one fan, Rue has been featured 71 times in the 'confessional'. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The viewer also calculated and ranked each one of the other contestants over the last five weeks including the remaining players. Coming in behind Rue with 56 appearances in the confessional was Ben Macdonald, followed by Laura Sharrad on 50. Audra Morrice and Callum Hann scored 48, according to the enterprising fan, while Sneznana Calic has appeared 44 times in the confessional. Sharing their findings to Reddit with a chart showing the name of the contestant and how many times they appeared in confessionals the user's share sparked online commentary about Rue's appearance on the show. 'Rue got way more screen time, even after an episode, of all the remaining contestants,' commented one viewer on the thread. Another joked, 'I won't be surprised if she remains in the top 10 despite not even making it through halfway through the competition. Queen!' It comes after Rue Mupedzi says she is setting herself up for a career in the culinary world after her shock elimination from the Back to Win season on Tuesday. Instead of hanging up her apron for good, the 29-year-old dental hygienist is planning on becoming a pastry chef. Rue, who is known as the 'dessert queen' by fans, announced she plans to head to Europe to pursue her dream as soon as possible. 'My vision board is to go to France and gain work experience in the pastry world for six months to a year, as well as explore Europe,' she said in a new interview with Yahoo Lifestyle on Wednesday. The WA-based kitchen star said her long-term plans included opening her own pastry shop. Elsewhere, Rue opened up about her return to MasterChef after her headline making appearance on the show in 2023. 'I still wanted to work really hard and do well, but the most important thing to me was to have a good time,' she said. 'Coming back was like riding a bike. It felt like I never left! I integrated back into the kitchen so quickly.' Rue suffered the heartache of a second MasterChef Australia elimination this week after a tricky pudding failed to impress the judges. Rue, Tim, Audra and Sarah were tasked with remaking Variations of Sourdough and Strawberry with Elderflower and Balsamic dessert from restaurant's Blayne Bertoncello. In the end, it was the dessert queen herself who was sent home over her grainy crème pâtissière. In tears, Rue told the judges that it had been an honour cooking for them and being on the show for a second time around. 'Just being called back among such amazing chefs made me realise I'm also part of the great people,' she shared.
Daily Mail
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Controversial chef Gordon Ramsay unleashes expletive filled spray over raw fish as he returns for debut of MasterChef Australia: Back To Win
Gordon Ramsay kicked off the debut episode of MasterChef Australia: Back To Win on Monday night. The British celebrity chef - known for his expletive-laden rants - had a spray at a team of contestants during a service challenge when they served up raw kingfish. 'Who cooked the fish!' he demanded, before unleashinga tirade, 'Raw fish. Ice cold, raw fish. 'May as well go to f***ing Nobu and serve those up as f***ing shushi!' 'Help me out, please. The job's hard enough. Please' he went on, pleading with the team. Viewers were amused by Gordon's antics, with several pointing out he needed to be extensively bleeped from his first minute on screen. Ramsay made his long-awaited return to MasterChef Australia on Monday night. Channel 10 earlier announced that Ramsay, 58, will be appearing as a guest judge on the new season's Back to Win competition. The notoriously hot-tempered Ramsay is joined in the kitchen by regular judges Andy Allen, Sofia Levin, Poh Ling Yeow and Jean-Christophe Novelli. Ramsay last appeared on the hit cooking competition in 2018. This season sees 24 past contestants come back to win the MasterChef trophy and $250,000 in prize money. Among the cast are MasterChef fan favourites, including season one's Andre Ursini, Sarah Todd from 2022's season 14 and Tim Bone from season 11. Also among the contestants is season 6 runner-up Laura Sharrad. Andre Ursini, who made his TV debut in 2009 as a contestant on MasterChef Australia, recently announced his return to the show. 'Who cooked the fish!' he demanded, before unleashinga tirade, 'Raw fish. Ice cold, raw fish. 'May as well go to f***ing Nobu and serve those up as f***ing shushi!' Already fans of the cooking competition have emerged with a theory about who will be crowned the winner. Viewers have gone online to speculate that the producers have spoiled the show after dropping a promo poster showing just six of the 24 contestants who will battle it out in the kitchen. The featured contestants are lined up in the image and appear in various sizes, including Laura Sharrad who starred in seasons 6 and 12. Also appearing in the promo are season 16's Savindri Perera and Darrsh Clarke as well as Tim Bone from season 11. There's also Declan Cleary from season 15, while the image of fan favourite Steph De Sousa from season 11 looms largest in the poster. Many fans felt Laura Sharrad was a shoe-in based on her appearance on the poster. A fan Reddit started the discussion by asking, 'Do you think the winner is pictured?' 'Considering that Laura is the only pictured contestant from before season 11, do you think she wins, or do you think that the winner is not pictured?' 'I do think majority of them probably went far or did pretty well, while maybe at least one maybe goes out relatively early?' said one fan.
