The Bobby Flay And Giada De Laurentiis Dating Rumors Explained
Giada de Laurentiis and Bobby Flay have built international food brands, mostly from their work on the Food Network, so it makes sense that TV producers push them together whenever possible. Over the years, De Laurentiis and Flay have teamed up for projects such as "Iron Chef America," "Food Network Star," "Bobby and Giada in Italy." In 2013, they even teamed up to answer relationship questions (as friends) for "Today." And while De Laurentiis and Flay had a brief falling out after the former felt the latter didn't pull his weight during "Iron Chef America," most of their team-ups have led to amazing ratings, widespread fanfare, and some very juicy, very scandalous, yet unsubstantiated, dating rumors.
If you're wondering what could possibly be scandalous about two gorgeous, successful celebrity chefs hooking up, well, it's probably because both De Laurentiis and Flay were married while some of these rumors swirled. They also both filed to end their respective marriages within six months of each other. For starters, Laurentiis took to Facebook to announce that she was divorcing her husband, Todd Thomas, in December 2014. Days later, it was reported that she and Flay enjoyed a platonic dinner together before her announcement. Flay's third marriage to actor Stephanie March ended in April 2015. Then, Radar published a report about De Laurentiis making out with a "mystery man," who they made sure to point out was not Flay.
Yeah, that's certainly suspicious if you ask us!
Giada de Laurentiis denied dating rumors – twice
Giada de Laurentiis didn't allow her divorce from Todd Thomas to prevent her from enjoying life. Within a year, De Laurentiis appeared on "The Wendy Williams Show" confirming that she'd indeed moved on with a new man. While she didn't name the guy, she alluded to the rumors about Bobby by saying people have paired her "with anybody I laid eyes on even crossing the street," per E! News. De Laurentiis also took Williams to task for abruptly asking about her romantic life during a cooking segment. "You know what I love? I love how she just dropped that in the middle of it," added De Laurentiis. "That's what makes you good at what you do, Wendy! Catch me off-guard!"
During an appearance on "Watch What Happens Live," Laurentiis took a much firmer stance on her relationship status with Flay. "[Bobby and I] do get together on Food Network Star," joked De Laurentiis during the November 2014 interview. "Well, we're very good friends. We've worked for many years together, but I don't think that's ever going to happen because I'm smarter than that." Laurentiis' reps also denied a report by Radar Online claiming that she and Flay had been caught getting handsy at dinner. "Back in December, Giada had dinner at Bellato with her agent. Bobby Flay was also having dinner with some friends and dropped by Giada's table to say hi," shared her team with E! News. "They did not have dinner, nor was there any touching going on."
That's one way to shut down rumors!
What has Bobby said about the rumors?
Bobby Flay, who seems to have found his happy ending, has never been put in the hot seat over his rumored relationship with Giada de Laurentiis, though we admit we would've loved to see it. It's only fair, after all! However, Flay did use his representative to corroborate De Laurentiis' previous statements to E! News about the nature of their dinner encounter. Basically, both camps have claimed that the encounter was totally innocent and lacked any romantic undertones. And while we'll probably never know their thoughts about people constantly pinning them together, we do know how Flay feels about De Laurentiis in general.
During one of their more recent projects, "Bobby and Giada in Italy," which saw them cycling through the best Italian cuisine they could find, Flay gushed about de Laurentiis. "I love Giada in Italy — like the person, not just the show — because she's so relaxed there," Flay shared of their filming experience with Delish. "And I feel the same way." It sounds like the two had a great time, with Flay adding, "The experience was so enjoyable that it didn't even feel like work. It's almost like we were on some sort of extended vacation, but we're also working at the same time. We were just in a great mood the entire time. We got along great. We always have a great time together."
Flay also has high opinions of Giada's mother, Veronica, whom they visited while filming the show. "[Giada's] mom is literally one of my favorite people in the world," said Bobby to Delish.