Ina Garten Admits in New Memoir That She Considered Divorcing Husband Jeffrey

Food Network star and Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten is known for many things, from her delicious Italian dishes to her business acumen, and among them is her adorable and long-lasting relationship with her husband, Jeffrey.

The pair started dating when Ina was just 16, and in 1968, they tied the knot. Now, after almost 60 years of marriage, her relationship with Jeffrey has become a major part of Ina's charm, and the two are somewhat of a culinary royal couple.

However, a bombshell passage within Ina's new memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, has fans questioning her relationship with Jeffrey — are they still married? Here's what we know.

Folks waiting on the edge of their seats can sigh with relief: Jeffrey and Ina Garten are still going strong! However, that wasn't always the case. At one point during their 56-year-long marriage, Ina admitted in her new memoir, things almost fell apart, and she actually considered divorcing her husband.

It was in the 1970s, right around the time when Ina bought her first store, Barefoot Contessa, and well before she took on the moniker as part of her personal brand.

"While I was still cooking, cleaning, shopping, managing at the store, I was doing it as a businesswoman, not a wife," she wrote. "My responsibilities made it impossible for me to even think about anything else. There was no expectation about who got home from work first and what they should do because I never got home from work."

At the time, the husband and wife had been attempting to make things work long-distance, with Ina operating in the Hamptons and Jeffrey still living in Washington D.C.

"When Jeffrey came on weekends, he was a distraction. I didn’t pay enough attention to him," she said. "Jeffrey was fully formed and living the life he wanted to live. I wasn’t, and I wouldn’t be able to figure out who I was or what I wanted unless I was on my own. I needed that freedom. ... I thought about it a lot, and at my lowest point, I wondered if the only answer would be to get a divorce."

Thankfully, they opted for a temporary separation instead: "He packed his bag and went home to Washington with no plan to come back. I buried my emotions and threw myself into my work."

And when they reunited, they were ready to reassess their relationship and do whatever they needed to do in order to make it work for them — including reconsidering traditional gender roles.

"Moving forward, we could be equals who took care of each other. It wouldn’t happen overnight, but if we worked toward the same goal, we could change things together," she said.

Nowadays, they seem happier than ever, with Ina's career thriving and Jeffrey doing everything right to support her behind the scenes. In an anniversary post made to Ina's Instagram in 2020, she summed their relationship up in a few perfect words: "Fifty-two years and still having so much fun! You gave me a life I could never have dreamed of."