Paula Deen Divorce: Court Documents Filed By Celeb Chef Spark Rumors That Marriage Is Over

Is Paula Deen getting a divorce? Speculation that her marriage to Michael Groover is over surfaced after court documents revealed that Deen recently deeded over $1 million in property over to her her husband of 11 years. Coupled with rumors about Groover’s alleged affair, The New York Post states that the celebrity chef may be quietly working out a divorce settlement with her husband.

Deen married Groover in 2004 in a wedding that was featured on the Food Network. Her husband made frequent appearances on her cooking shows, including Paula’s Home Cooking, Paula’s Party and Paula’s Best Dishes. Almost a decade later, Deen’s TV show dynasty started to crumble, and her marriage was rumored to be in trouble.

Deen was fired from the Food Network in 2013 after admitting to using a racial slur and months later, there were reports that Groover “stormed out of the house” after being confronted by Deen about an alleged affair with an unnamed woman. Those rumors were put to rest shortly after they made tabloid headlines, with a source close to Deen telling Us Weekly that the cheating story was “absolutely untrue.”

What sparked the latest divorce rumors? According to Page Six, when Paula filed court papers to transfer the deed to the couple’s $1.3 million Savannah, Georgia mansion to her husband, there was immediate speculation that the deed transfer was part of a “secret divorce settlement.”

However, the rumors are once again far from the truth. The documents filed by Deen at the beginning of the year were reportedly a “deed of gift” to Groover. Although she handed over her rights to the home that was host to many episodes of her Food Network cooking shows, the trade was part of estate planning for the 68-year-old celebrity chef and cookbook author.

Paula Deen’s spokesman confirmed that the divorce rumors were once again untrue, telling Page Six the “rumors are completely false — they have a wonderful marriage.”

To further prove that the divorce rumors are untrue and the couple’s marriage is still going strong, Paula has dedicated her new cookbook Paula Deen Cuts the Fat (due out September 8) to Groover. The couple have also been out and about together and haven’t been shy at showing their affection.

In the photo above, taken last week in Key West, Florida, onlookers watched Paula cheer Groover on in a Ernest Hemingway Look-Alike contest, looking every bit like the loving couple fans have gotten to know during their public appearances and on her former cooking shows.

[Image: Andy Newman/Getty Images, Zillow]