Now In Her 70s, Ina Garten Is Proof That A Child-Free Life Can Still Be So Rewarding
Among the culinary greats, Ina Garten is surely one of them. She won hearts with the wholesome, fulfilling recipes she shared as the host of "Barefoot Contessa." But aside from her culinary and media achievements, it might interest you to learn that Garten is one of the celebrities who are unapologetically childless by choice. Garten has been married to husband Jeffrey E. Garten since 1968, and upon reflection, the cooking host has admitted that having children would not have been conducive to their careers.
"I think it would have been difficult, and I think Jeffrey and I would have had a different life together," the Food Network star exclusively shared with The New York Times. However, she never regretted her decision to commit to a child-free life, and her husband respected her choice. It seems to have been the right choice for Ina Garten, too, as not only has her career flourished, but her married life has remained as romantic and loving as ever.
Ina Garten has another reason as to why she didn't want children
Although Ina Garten has publicly revealed that her work-life balance got in the way of having children, there was another more personal reason that she kept close to her chest. During an intimate sit-down with Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the "Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus" podcast, Garten admitted that she had quite the traumatic start in life. "I just had a terrible childhood, and it was nothing I wanted to recreate," she candidly told her host.
Garten's parents were far from affectionate and loving, with the culinary star lamenting that her mother was emotionally neglectful. Her father, on the other hand, was emotionally intemperate. It's understandable why such a childhood left scars on Garten and influenced her decision to not have children. And with more young stars like Anna Kendrick getting candid about her own decision to remain childless by choice, it appears Garten has helped shape a more positive narrative for women who choose to not have a baby and we're all here for it.