Bobby Flay’s longest relationship has been with the Food Network, but the celebrity chef has been more open about his love life lately.
Flay’s has been married and divorced three times, which may be why he kept coy about his current relationship in the beginning.
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In a September 2021 appearance on TODAY, Flay was making a vegetarian chili from his cookbook, Beat Bobby Flay, and casually mentioned that he had a girlfriend. Co-anchor Savannah Guthrie hopped right in with some follow-up questions (as did Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager in a later interview), but Flay declined to name her. “I mentioned that I do have a new girlfriend and that she doesn’t eat meat, and, of course, I was making vegetarian chili, and the chili went out the window and Savannah just wanted to talk about [my girlfriend],” he told Kotb and Hager.
Since then, Flay has sung the praises of his girlfriend. Get to know Bobby Flay’s girlfriend as well as Bobby Flay’s ex-wives.
Related: Facts You Never Knew About Bobby Flay
Is Bobby Flay Currently in a Relationship?
Flay is currently dating Christina Pérez, a writer, editor and former model. The couple went public in November 2021. He gushed to Entertainment Tonight of his girlfriend in August 2022, “Christina, she’s just a light in my life. She’s so sweet. She’s so smart. She just enhances everything that I’m able to participate in with her. I mean, she’s fantastic.” Awww!
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Who is Bobby Flay’s Wife Now?
Flay isn’t currently married, but he is happy with Pérez. When asked if he’d potentially put a ring on it, he joked to Entertainment Tonight, “I’ve done it a lot. I’ve practiced that a lot. For now, I like it exactly the way it is. I think Christina does too.”
Related: Bobby Flay’s Best Grilling Tips
Who are Bobby Flay’s Ex-Wives?
Flay has been married three times. His ex-wives, in chronological order:
Debra Ponzek
Flay and chef Debra Ponzek were married from 1991 to 1993. Their relationship was a whirlwind: They met in June 1990 and decided within weeks to tie the knot, they told The New York Times. In 1992, both Ponzek and Flay were nominated for the prestigious James Foundation Beard Award for Rising Star Chef, Eater reported, and he actually tried to withdraw his nomination so he wouldn’t compete against her. His withdrawal was refused, and he won the following year, with Ponzek on hand to proudly present the award to him.
Related: Bobby Flay Waffled Banana Bread
Kate Connelly
Flay’s second wife is Kate Connelly, who he married in 1995. They share a daughter, Sophie, who they welcomed in 1996. Connelly and Flay separated in 1998.
Related: Get to Know Bobby Flay’s Daughter Sophie
Stephanie March
Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
Flay’s third and most famous wife is Stephanie March. He and the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star married in February 2005 after dating for four years.
Gregory Pace/FilmMagic
They were together for 10 years before separating in March 2015, with Flay filing for divorce shortly after. The split was a messy one, with allegations of infidelity hitting the press.
At the time, Flay’s attorneys told PEOPLE in a statement, “This specific allegation was in a letter sent from one attorney in this case to the other. It was written and then leaked specifically to try to insert this story into the press, and that’s unfortunate. Even more unfortunate is that all of this is being done in order to renegotiate a prenuptial agreement that was agreed to over a decade ago and never amended during the marriage.”
In June 2015, at Flay’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony, a banner flew overhead that read “CHEATER,” though PEOPLE reported it was likely a prankster, not March, who commissioned the plane and pilot for the occasion. March and Flay settled their divorce in July 2015 without divulging any of the details publicly.
Related: How Bobby Flay Really Feels About The Bear
Is Bobby Flay Married to Giada?
Never! Flay and fellow Food Network star and Bobby and Giada in Italy co-host Giada de Laurentiis have always been purely platonic. Rumors of a romance emerged in 2015 after they were spotted at the same restaurant, but de Laurentiis’ rep shot down any talk of a relationship.
Related: Why Giada de Laurentiis Left the Food Network
“Back in December, Giada had dinner at Bellato with her agent,” de Laurentiis’ rep told E! News. “Bobby Flay was also having dinner with some friends and dropped by Giada’s table to say hi. They did not have dinner, nor was there any touching going on.” And there you have it!
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