Anne Burrell reflected on finding husband Stuart Claxton later in life just months before her death at age 55.
“[We are] still in the honeymoon [phase]. This is my first marriage. I waited for Prince Charming. He was a little late, but he finally got here,” Burrell joked on a March episode of the “MisSpelling” podcast. “Also I myself was just not ready. I was really focused on my career.”
Burrell recalled meeting Claxton on a dating app.
“I met him on Bumble. I have to say, I enjoyed the whole dating app thing. I went into it with what I wanted my endgame to be. I was, like, 47 when I started. I would do it for a while. I would talk to people, flirt a little bit and I met up with a couple of people,” she said. “I talked to far more people than I actually ever met up with. I would do it for a while. Then if I was like, ‘I’m not having fun with this right now,’ I would take a break and then I would go back and start sort of over.”
Food Network’s Anne Burrell, Husband Stuart Claxton’s Relationship Timeline
She continued: “It does take effort and you can’t go into it with the idea, like, ‘Is this the Prince Charming?’ You have to go into it with the attitude that this is an investment in my time. It’s an investment in me and to have fun and not put so much pressure on it.”
Burrell and Claxton got engaged in 2020 after two years of dating. Burrell noted on the podcast that she was “living the rockstar chef life” before the couple exchanged vows in 2021.
“I was living my best life. I was working a lot and had a great social life. But I just started to feel like, ‘You’re getting a little old to keep on doing this.’ Like, what are we doing? Where are we going in life? From when I was a kid, I always was like, ‘I am not getting married until I feel like I have something in life to share,’” she continued. “Kids were never on my radar. I love being an aunt. I have nieces and nephews. Stuart has a son, so now I’m a stepmom. So that is the perfect amount of parenting for me.”
Later in the episode, Burrell offered a glimpse into her and Claxton’s date nights, adding, “We go to dinner and then we go karaoke singing. We get a private room and we will just sing, just the two of us for hours. We have karaoke at home too, but our neighbors get a little upset with us sometimes. So a lot of times we go out to spare the neighbors.”
Three months after her appearance on Tori Spelling’s podcast, Burrell was found unresponsive inside her Brooklyn home on Tuesday, June 17. According to the New York City Police Department, Burrell was pronounced dead “at the scene” after authorities responded to a 911 call, which led to the discovery of “an unconscious and unresponsive” 55-year-old female.
Burrell’s loved ones released a statement in her honor as news of her death made headlines.
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“Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend — her smile lit up every room she entered,” their statement read. “Anne’s light radiated far beyond those she knew, touching millions across the world. Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit, and boundless love remain eternal.”
Burrell is survived by her mother, Marlene, and her sister, Jane, along with her husband and his son, Javier. Burrell became a household name in 2005 as Mario Batali’s sous chef on Iron Chef America. She later appeared on Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, which premiered in 2008 and ran for nine seasons.
For many fans, Burrell’s most memorable role was on Worst Cooks in America, where she served as a mentor to amateur cooks hoping to become capable chefs.
“We are deeply saddened to share the news that beloved chef, Anne Burrell, passed away this morning,” the Food Network said in a statement shared via Instagram on Tuesday. “Anne was a remarkable person and culinary talent — teaching, competing and always sharing the importance of food in her life and the joy that a delicious meal can bring. Our thoughts are with Anne’s family, friends and fans during this time of tremendous loss.”
