Giada De Laurentiis Divorce Announced

Giada De Laurentiss is divorcing her husband of 11 years.

The Food Network diva who was born in Rome and specializes in Italian cuisine made the announcement on her Facebook page. The posting also disclosed that she and spouse Todd Thompson, a fashion designer, have already been separated for about five months. The couple have a daughter, Jade Marie De Laurentiss-Thompson, age six.

De Laurentiss, 44, is the TV host of Giada at Home and a judge on Food Network Star as well as being a successful cookbook author and entrepreneur. She met Thompson when she was 19 and he was 20, and they tied the knot in May 2003.

The granddaughter of famed movie producer Dino De Laurentiss, Giada won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2008 for Outstanding Lifestyle Host and was inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame in 2012.

The celebrity chef’s Facebook post offered this explanation of the split.

“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. Todd and I share a beautiful daughter and a lifetime of great memories that we both treasure more than anything. We are so thankful for our friends and family, and really appreciate the support in this time of change.”

According to E!Online, rumors surfaced in 2011 that De Laurentiss and musician John Mayer had hooked up, which DeLaurentiis denied and deemed shocking and completely unexpected. “What made it all even more surprising is that I haven’t had any contact with John Mayer in three years. You know how you’ll briefly get introduced to somebody? Maybe we chatted for five minutes, but I wouldn’t consider that intimate….I know these things happen, but maybe I was naive to think that they are usually based on some facts.”

So far, there is no indication as to whether De Laurentiss or her husband have actually filed divorce papers in court.

Last month, a story emerged that De Laurentiss allegedly doesn’t swallow the food that she prepares in front of the camera on the Food Network. Instead, she spits it out into a nearby bucket, which the New York Post suggested is how Giada maintains her size 2 figure. A rep denied the account, however.

Are you saddened by the news of the Giada De Laurentiis divorce?

[image via lev radin / Shutterstock.com]