Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis is best-known for her Italian cooking.
But her 2014 divorce from former husband Todd Thompson has also garnered plenty of
interest over the years. Here's the scoop on the longtime couple's former romance.
When people think about Hollywood breakups,
they might imagine that the couple in question hasn't been together very long. After all,
there appear to be more than a few makeups and breakups that happen among the celebrity set.
But instead of it being some sort of stunt romance for the tabloids, De Laurentiis and Thompson were,
in fact, the real deal. All in, the chef confirmed to People magazine that
she and Thompson had been together for 25 years — ever since she was 19 years old.
You might expect that a talented chef like De Laurentiis would fall in love
with someone who also enjoyed cooking just as much as she did. But Thompson wasn't exactly
a foodie when they met — and De Laurentiis had to show him the ropes. She told Redbook,
"My husband was used to opening cans — Chef Boyardee, frozen food, whatever.
He didn't know much about cooking, bless his soul. He wasn't that hard to impress. But he's
come a long way. Parmesan cheese never existed for him [and] tomato sauce was watered-down ketchup."
"Hey which vacation are we doing next?"
"We could relive Santorini. Oh yeah,
I got a whole menu planned for that one." De Laurentiis is a mother, a chef, TV personality,
cookbook author, and restaurant owner. But even though she has so much going on in her
professional life, she still enjoys good, old-fashioned time with her family, at home.
"Whatcha got there?"
"Flowers. And some gelato."
"Chocolate, I hope!"
"Of course."
Back in 2010, De Laurentiis claimed that she prioritized
her marriage when she could, telling TODAY,
"When I'm not working, I love to make dinner at home for Todd. That's the most
romantic thing I can do for him — to make his favorite meal — farfalle with turkey sausage,
mushrooms and peas. It reminds him that, oh yeah […] that's the woman I fell in love with."
De Laurentiis and Thompson were together for many years before they had their daughter Jade in 2008.
And some wondered whether or not the couple would have more children. The chef
elaborated on why she didn't want to grow her family any larger, joking with TODAY,
"People always say to me, 'Why don't you have another child?' And I say to them,
I have another child — he's my husband!"
It's evident that the couple shared a busy life together, between raising Jade and navigating
life in the limelight. When asked about what stressed her out the most in general,
De Laurentiis explained it was typically her busy schedule. She revealed to Women's Health,
"[I stress out about] not spending enough time with my daughter and husband, but I do
my best. On weekends, I'll do yoga at a reasonable time, like 9 a.m., so Jade and Todd can join me.
I try to do stand-up paddle surfing and go on hikes with my husband on weekends, too."
"Bellissimo."
But the chef also noted that it wasn't just her own life that transformed when Jade entered
their world — it was her relationship with Thompson that changed, too. She told Parade,
"I have a great husband who really does support me. […] I guess I never
realized what a true partnership was until now!"
"I feel like Kim Kardashian since you guys are following me."
Being a celebrity chef attracts a lot of media attention, and Giada's personal life was a
definite target. But sometimes, interest turns into rumors that are flat-out untrue — something
the TV host learned the hard way. In 2011, De Laurentiis became the subject of false gossip
that she was having an affair with singer John Mayer. The chef denied those rumors,
quickly firing back at the media through a statement from her rep, which read:
"It is a shame [that] a media outlet such as Star needs to rely on disgraceful lies
and hide behind false anonymous 'sources' in order to entertain their readers. […] To be clear,
they are not friends and [Giada] cannot even go so far as to call John Mayer an acquaintance."
But while Thompson understood how tabloid gossip worked,
his family wasn't exactly on the same page. De Laurentiis explained to Redbook,
"My family is used to that sort of thing. But my husband's family is not. Todd was embarrassed that
his family in Michigan would see it and think, What is going on over there in Hollywood?"
De Laurentiis and Thompson ultimately split up in 2014, shocking fans everywhere. According
to People, the host announced her divorce from Thompson in a Facebook post. But as devastating
as the breakup must have been for the whole family, it appeared that both parties were
doing their best to remain on the best possible terms with each other. De Laurentiis wrote,
"After an amicable separation since July, Todd and I have decided to end our marriage.
Although our decision to separate comes with a great deal of sadness,
our focus on the future and overwhelming desire for our family's happiness has
given us the strength to move forward on separate, yet always connected paths."
"I had been with Jade's dad for twenty-five
years. I sort of didn't even know what it meant to not be married."
The two continue to devote their time to co-parenting Jade,
as well as navigating this next chapter as best they can.
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