Rachael Ray is mourning the lack of her shut pal, Anne Burrell.
The cookbook creator, 56, has spoken out for the primary time after it was revealed that the world-renowned chef host died on Tuesday at age 55.
“The news about Anne has truly shaken us. John and I are heartbroken,” Ray wrote on Instagram Wednesday beneath a slew of photographs of the pair. “I can’t quite believe it — such a strong, vibrant, fearless woman, so full of life and love, could be gone so soon.”
She added, “Anne was a rockstar! I came to know her well through multiple seasons of Worst Cooks on Food Network, and she became so much more than a colleague.”
Their bond went far past the kitchen, as Ray additionally served as a bridesmaid in Burrell’s 2021 marriage ceremony to husband Stuart Claxton.
“Anne honored me by asking me to be her bridesmaid, something I’d only done once before for my sister. Despite being surrounded by incredible chefs, she never once made me feel self-conscious about not being one — she always treated me as one of the gang,” Ray continued.
The tv character went on to element their time collectively whereas engaged on “Worst Cooks in America,” sharing that “we had the most incredible laughs.”
“She even cooked for me and my guests at my wedding anniversary in Italy.”
“I’ll never forget walking into our dressing rooms at Food Network studios early in the morning and hearing her blasting the song of the moment down the hall,” Ray recalled. “Anne had great taste in music and in life — she was a force in the kitchen, in any room, in every life she touched.”
“I’ll miss her friendship deeply,” she concluded. “Everyone whose life she touched will miss her. Sending love to Stuart and everyone who knew and loved Anne. We’ve lost someone truly special.”
Burrell hosted “Worst Cooks in America” on Meals Community for 27 seasons, from its inception in 2010 to 2024. Ray was a decide on the sequence from 2015 to 2017.
After information of her dying broke, a consultant from Meals Community shared with The Publish: “Anne was a remarkable person and culinary talent — teaching, competing and always sharing the importance of food in her life and the joy that a delicious meal can bring. Our thoughts are with Anne’s family, friends and fans during this time of tremendous loss.”
Burrell’s household shared the information of her dying in a press release to Individuals on Tuesday.
“Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend — her smile lit up every room she entered,” they stated. “Anne’s light radiated far beyond those she knew, touching millions across the world. Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit, and boundless love remain eternal.”
The New York Metropolis Police Division revealed that Burrell was discovered “unconscious and unresponsive” and pronounced lifeless at her house in Brooklyn.
Police informed Individuals on Tuesday that at about 7:50 a.m., regulation enforcement from the 76th Precinct responded to “an unconscious and unresponsive 55-year-old female.”
Officers stated that EMS “responded and pronounced her deceased on scene,” with paramedics initially responding to a 911 name a couple of reported cardiac arrest.
A rep for the New York Metropolis Hearth Division informed Web page Six on Wednesday that the 911 caller claimed Burrell suffered a “cardiac arrest” and was “DOA [dead on arrival].”
In December, Burrell was a visitor on Ray’s podcast, “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead,” the place she spoke about her ardour for cooking.
“I always from when I was a little, little girl, loved the idea of hospitality and providing and sort of spreading joy,” she defined. “My mom hates it when I say this, but I’m like, ‘Oh, as a chef, I’m a professional pleasure provider.’”
“She’s like, ‘Do you have to say it that way?’ I’m like, ‘Yes. Yes. I do,’” Burrell confessed. “But I have memories of being a little girl and, like, at Thanksgiving, loving to ‘Can we use the good silverware and the fancy dishes?’ and setting the table like that.”
For the movie star chef, she credited her mentality for serving to form her decades-long profession.
“I think that that has just sort of morphed into, like, my love language, and I’m a provider,” she stated. Burrell teased that “going over the top and providing and giving” is “in a chef’s DNA.”
She concluded, “That’s what we do, and we derive pleasure from giving other people pleasure. That’s the joy that we feel.”
Burrell survived by her husband, his son, Javier, her mom, Marlene, her sister, Jane, and her brother, Ben.
