Ina Garten, 75, reveals REAL reason she never had children: Celebrity chef admits her own painful childhood turned her off becoming a mother – because she didn’t want to ‘recreate’ what she went through

Acclaimed chef Ina Garten has opened up about her decision not to have children, explaining that she made the choice early on because she didn't want to “recreate” what she experienced during her painful childhood.

Ina, 75, who grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, with her surgeon father, Charles, and her dietitian mother, Florence, has long been open about how her “obsessive” mother restricted her eating as a child and did not allow her to cook – despite falling in love with the activity from a young age.

Now she has revealed how the negative things she endured as a child ultimately led to her not wanting to become a mother herself.

While speaking to Katty Kay during a new BBC interview, the cook – who married her husband, Jeffrey, when she was just 20 – explained that shortly after tying the knot, she decided she didn't want to have children.

Ina, 75, who grew up in Connecticut with her surgeon father, Charles, and her dietician mother, Florence, has long been open about how her 'obsessive' mother restricted her eating as a child

Now she has revealed how the negative things she endured as a child ultimately led to her not wanting to become a mother herself. As a child, she and her family were seen as far-right

While speaking to Katty Kay for a new BBC interview, the cook – who married her husband, Jeffrey, when she was just 20 – explained that shortly after tying the knot, she decided she didn't want to have children.

When the host asked her if the decision stemmed from her feeling that she couldn't become a chef if she started a family, Ina explained that while she knew balancing both would be “harder,” that wasn't the reason.

“I don't think that's why I made this decision,” she said.

'I'm actually writing a memoir now and I'm kind of looking back on my childhood; it wasn't anything I wanted to recreate.

'Looking back, I realize that many of my decisions were based on my childhood. That was really the motivating factor. And Jeffrey and I were so happy together.'

Over the years, Ina – who taught herself to be a professional chef by studying Julia Child's cookbook – has repeatedly spoken out about her relationship with her mother.

In 2017, she told Katie Couric about her Next question podcast that becoming a chef felt like the “ultimate rebellion” against her “obsessive” mother, who controlled her diet for years.

“My mother was obsessed with food,” she said at the time. 'So we were allowed no carbohydrates and no butter. We had margarine. And her idea of ​​a great dessert was an apple.”

She also reflected on her upbringing during an appearance on Al Roker's podcast, Cooking up a stormin 2021, explaining that she started cooking because she “craved connection” as a child.

She also revealed how her mother never let her in the kitchen, despite her passion for cooking being evident from an early age.

When asked by the host if the decision stemmed from her feeling that she couldn't become a chef if she started a family, Ina said that while she knew it would be “harder,” that wasn't the reason.

Ina (seen with Jeffrey) said: 'Looking back on my childhood, it wasn't anything I wanted to recreate. A lot of my decisions were based on my childhood, that was the motivating factor'

“I don't know, I think my mom just wanted me in my room and she wanted the kitchen to herself,” she explained.

'She said, 'Your job is to study, my job is to cook. Get out of the kitchen.' So I kind of always wanted to do it.

“I think what I longed for as a kid was to connect with people and I felt that if you feed them, they always show up and you have a good time together. That was the connection I loved so much, I kept doing it over and over again.”

Moreover, Ina told Eater in 2015 that she had “nothing from her childhood at home” and that her “life began” the day she got married.

When asked about it, she said, “[My mom] wasn't the warmest, funniest person around.'

Ina and Jeffrey married in 1968, and she began her career working as a White House budget analyst while slowly refining her cooking skills.

Ina (recently seen with her husband) started her career as a White House budget analyst. In 1978 she left to run a grocery store and in 1999 she released her first cookbook

Ina released a total of 13 cookbooks and starred in her own Food Network show for 29 seasons before it ended in 2021.

In 1978, she left her government job and bought a food store in New York called Barefoot Contessa.

For more than twenty years, Ina grew into a thriving business before publishing her first cookbook in 1999.

It was a huge success and gave her mega star status in the culinary world.

She appeared regularly on Martha Stewart's show before launching her own Food Network program in 2002, called Barefoot Contessa.

Since then, Ina has released a total of thirteen cookbooks and embarked on a slew of other business endeavors. Her show lasted 29 seasons before ending in 2021.