Ina Garten Opens Up About Separation and Reconciliation With Husband Jeffrey: ‘Hardest Thing’

Ina Garten and her husband, Jeffrey Garten , have been married for nearly 56 years, but she admitted they once faced a rough patch in their relationship.

In an excerpt of her new book, Be Ready When the Luck Happens , obtained by People , Ina opened up about her past separation with Jeffrey, 77. The couple got married in 1968, and she began running their Barefoot ­Contessa food store.

"When I bought Barefoot Contessa, I shattered our traditional roles —­ took a baseball bat to them and left them in pieces," she wrote. "While I was still cooking, cleaning, shopping, managing at the store, I was doing it as a businesswoman, not a wife. My responsibilities made it impossible for me to even think about anything else. There was no expectation about who got home from work first and what they should do, because I never got home from work!"

While she was focusing on her brand, Jeffrey spent time in Washington, D.C., and would come to the Hamptons on the weekends. But Ina admitted their unique living and working arrangement put a strain on their relationship.

"I thought about it a lot, and at my lowest point, I wondered if the only answer would be to get a divorce," the celebrity chef wrote. "I loved Jeffrey and didn’t want to shock — ­or hurt — ­him, so I’d start by suggesting we pause for a separation."

"It was the hardest thing I ever did. I told him that I needed to be on my own,” Ina added. “I didn’t say whether it was for now ... or forever. In true Jeffrey form, he said, 'If you feel like you need to be on your own, you need to do it.' He packed his bag and went home to Washington with no plan to come back. I buried my emotions and threw myself into my work."

Ina admitted that she “doubted” that they could make things work and was certain they “might be heading for divorce” because of their untraditional relationship.

Ultimately, the Be My Guest With Ina Garten host told her husband that he had to go to therapy if he wanted another chance at their marriage. And that he did.

"Jeffrey’s willingness to see the therapist was as significant as anything that might happen during their session," Ina shared. "He was that determined to convince me he was serious about making our marriage work."

In December 2023, Ina and Jeffrey celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. The longtime lovebirds shared a video of them playing the Newlywed Game on Instagram to mark the occasion, making fans fall in love with their sweet relationship even more.

While promoting her new book, Ina also explained why she and Jeffrey never had children.

“I remember thinking very clearly, I don’t know why people have children. I just thought, Why would you re-create that?” she told The New Yorker in an interview published on September 2. “I would be terrified.” In the early years, Jeffrey would periodically ask whether they should talk about having kids, and she’d demur. “And then, at some point, we just didn’t talk about it anymore.”

Be Ready When the Luck Happens will be released on October 1.