TV chef Heston Blumenthal has dumped his wife of 22 years for a curvy cook book writer.
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Blumenthal, 45, has ditched wife Zanna – whom he publicly hailed as the “reason for my success” – and moved out of the home they shared with their three teenage children.
The Fat Duck chef has now fallen for Suzanne Pirret, dubbed America’s answer to domestic goddess Nigella Lawson. She became a household name in the US after writing culinary book The Pleasure Is All Mine: Selfish Food for Modern Life.
Ms Pirret, 45, who poses seductively on the cover, has said: “Food and sex. Two of my favourite things. Best one after the other in either order, I’m not picky.”
And talking in 2009 about her ideal man, the former actress who has a flat in Primrose Hill, North London, said: “Personally, I love being cooked for. I don’t care what he cooks, it’s the biggest turn-on ever.”
Self-taught chef Blumenthal, who has a £1million, two-year deal with Channel 4, has recently expanded his business into London’s Knightsbridge with restaurant Dinner.
He also has a lucrative deal with high-end supermarket Waitrose.
He made his name at the Fat Duck in Bray, Berks, where he and Zanna, 47 – real name Susanna – toiled night and day to make a success. Its famous experimental dishes like mustard ice cream and snail porridge helped earn it three Michelin stars.
In an emotional interview four years ago he said: “Zanna is the reason for my success because she has supported me every step of the way. She’s sacrificed so much and never complained.”
There was no reply at the family home in Buckinghamshire yesterday. Zanna is believed to be abroad on holiday.
The chef’s spokesman said: “We can confirm Mr and Mrs Blumenthal are announcing the end of their marriage.
“Over the course of their marriage they have built an extremely successful business, but one which has unfortunately taken its toll on their relationship. They remain good friends and devoted parents of their three children.”
