“Zach is such a dear friend,” Kloots, 39, told Us Weekly exclusively while promoting Instacart’s “Beyond the Cart: A Year of Essential Stories.” “Nick and I met him when we were on Broadway doing Bullets Over Broadway and we kind of just instantly bonded and then have stayed best friends. He’s one of the most generous human beings, and if you’re lucky enough to call yourself one of his friends, you are very lucky.”

Cordero spent months in the hospital battling COVID-19 until he died in July 2020 at age 41. During that time, Kloots and her son, Elvis, who was born in June 2019, stayed in Braff’s guesthouse throughout the hospitalization.

The Talk cohost said she and the Scrubs actor are “kind of like brother and sister in a way.”

She continued, “We just have a very great honest relationship, and we really do love each other and support one another and cheer each other on.”

When Cordero’s death was announced last summer, Braff said the late actor wanted the Garden State director to watch out for his family, a request Braff seemed to take very seriously.

“The last thing he ever texted me was to look out for his wife and one-year-old son, Elvis,” Braff wrote at the time via Instagram. “I promise the world they will never want for anything.”

During her chat with Us, Kloots sang his praises. “He’s been such a support to me and Elvis and ever since Nick got sick and since after he passed. He’s a great guy.” 

Braff lives with girlfriend Florence Pugh, who he’s been dating since April 2019. According to Kloots, the Black Widow actress is a joy to be around as well and keeps everyone well-fed.

“I love Florence,” Kloots raved. “Florence is an amazing chef. She prefers to cook rather than go out, so I’ve enjoyed many meals cooked by Florence at the house.”

Pugh, 25, keeps fans updated on her cooking adventures with her Instagram Story segments, which she has dubbed Cooking With Flo. Kloots said the actress pulls out all the stops when she cooks for guests. 

“Her homemade pizza is one of her specialties, and she makes incredible ice cream,” said of the Oscar nominee. “She’s a chef. She’s a very, very talented lady.” 

When she isn’t enjoying the Little Women star’s culinary skills, Kloots is doing her own food shopping with Instacart. She’s promoting their latest campaign to shine a light on the shoppers who have helped customers get groceries safely delivered over the past year.  

“I’m just honored to be partnering with Instacart and their campaign, which is a year to celebrate these essential stories and the shoppers that have kept not only me and Elvis safe, but kept a lot of Americans safe and been able to give back to their communities through a pandemic or a time where everyone needed help,” the Live Your Life author told Us. “This is an app that I’ve been using since the pandemic began and it has become literally like a lifeline.”

Reporting by Diana Cooper

This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Nicole Massabrook