Diners at his three-Michelin-starred restaurant, The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, can expect delicious surprises like curry ice cream and fish-eye cocktail.
However, Heston Blumenthal’s love life is even more unpredictable.
Three days ago, I revealed that the 56-year-old TV chef had split from Stephanie Gouveia, the mother of his youngest son, who was regularly described as his ‘wife’.
‘I have found my other half’: Heston Blumenthal announces he is engaged to French businesswoman Melanie Ceysson
Friends of the French estate agent told me that she had never, in fact, been legally married to Blumenthal, who is 21 years her senior.
Now, I can reveal that he found love with another French woman, Melanie Ceysson.
And they are already engaged. ‘I have found my other half’, he tells me from France, where they live in a national park.
Pull apart! Earlier this week, it was revealed that Heston had split from his ‘wife’ and the mother of his youngest child, Stephanie Gouveia, after they were unofficially married in 2018.
Blumenthal’s spokeswoman was reported as saying that he married his previous girlfriend, Stephanie, in the Maldives in 2018.
However, her spokesperson told me this week: ‘The marriage must be recognized by legal authorities. This was not What happened does not constitute a marriage in a legally binding sense.
This time, the chef insists that the ceremony will be legally binding. “I’m going to officially marry Melanie,” he tells me.
Blumenthal, who attended Latymer Upper School in west London for £22,530 a year, refuses to elaborate on his new fiancée.
Example: TV chef and French real estate agent Stephanie parted ways ‘some time ago’
It is understood that they have been a couple for a few months. She is believed to be in her 30s and worked with him, as she had previously worked in the hospitality business in France.
In addition to his five-year-old son with Stephanie, Blumenthal has three children with his ex-wife, Zanna, whom he divorced in 2016.
During his marriage, he had an affair with American cookery writer Suzanne Pirret, who has said that her favorite things are “food and sex”.
Happier times: Stephanie’s friends say she never legally married Heston, who is 21 years her senior, despite her spokesperson reportedly saying they exchanged vows in 2018
Zanna supported Heston during his rise to stardom as a chef, and he admits that she raised their three children while he worked in the kitchen.
When asked why their marriage ended during an interview with The Times, Heston said: “Who knows? People are always looking for a reason and life is more complex.
“Certainly, my ex-wife was a big reason for the Duck’s success… Someone had to take the kids to school and do all that work and take care of the house, because I was never there.”
During their marriage, Heston had an affair with American cookery writer Suzanne Pirret, who has said that her favorite things are “food and sex”.
Heston moved to Provence, France, in 2018 to live near L’Oustau de Baumanière, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant he first visited at age 16.
He credits the restaurant with fueling his desire to become a chef. Heston claims that he came back to ‘rediscover the magic’ of cooking after losing love for it.
Heston remains strongly connected to his UK restaurants, including Fat Duck.
First wife: Heston and his first wife, Zanna, the mother of his first three children, divorced in 2016 after deciding to separate in 2011 (pictured together)