Ina Garten, known for her hit Food Network show, Barefoot Contessa, and a 56-year marriage to husband Jeffrey Garten, is opening up about a rough patch in their relationship. Garten talks about their marital strife in an excerpt from her new memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, published by People on Tuesday. According to Garten, when she left her Washington D.C. career to open a food store, her new business venture consumed her life. She also struggled with the “traditional roles” expected in a marriage at this time. Subsequently, her lack of work-life balance took a toll on her marriage and drove her to ask for a separation. “I thought about it a lot, and at my lowest point, I wondered if the only answer would be to get a divorce,” Garten wrote. “I loved Jeffrey and didn’t want to shock—or hurt—him, so I’d start by suggesting we pause for a separation.” Jeffrey agreed, and Garten calls it “the hardest thing I ever did.” They ended up getting back together after Ina asked Jeffrey to see a therapist so he could understand she didn’t want “a traditional ‘man and wife’ relationship.”
