Heston Blumenthal announces he is engaged to a French businesswoman

Diners at his three-Michelin-starred restaurant, The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, can look forward to delectable surprises like ice cream curry and fish eyeball cocktail.

However, Heston Blumenthal’s love life is even more unpredictable.

Three days ago, I revealed that the TV chef, 56, had split with Stephanie Gouveia, the mother of his youngest child, who was regularly described as his “wife.”

Friends of the French estate agent told me that she was, in fact, never legally married to Blumenthal, who is 21 years her senior.

Now I can reveal that he has found love with another French woman, Melanie Ceysson.

And they are already engaged. “I found my other half,” he tells me from France, where they live in a national park.

Divide! It was revealed earlier this week that Heston had split from his ‘wife’ and the mother of his youngest child Stephanie Gouveia after they unofficially married in 2018.

Blumenthal’s spokeswoman allegedly said he married his previous girlfriend, Stephanie, in the Maldives in 2018.

However, her spokesperson told me this week: “The marriage must be recognized by the judicial authorities. This was not. What happened does not constitute marriage in a legally binding sense.”

This time, the chef insists that the ceremony will be legally binding. “I’m officially getting married to Melanie,” he tells me.

Blumenthal, who spent £22,530 a year attending Latymer Upper School in west London, declined to give more details about his new fiancée.

Eg: The TV chef and the French real estate agent Stephanie went their separate ways ‘a while ago’

They had been a couple for several months. She is said to be in her 30s and to have worked with him, having previously worked in the hospitality industry in France.

In addition to his five-year-old with Stephanie, Blumenthal has three children with ex-wife, Zanna, whom he divorced in 2016.

During their marriage, he had an affair with American cookery writer Suzanne Pirret, who has said that her favorite things are “food and sex.”

Happier times: Friends of Stephanie say she never legally married Heston, who is 21 years her senior, though his spokesperson is said to have said they exchanged vows in 2018

Zanna stood by Heston during his rise to chef stardom and he admits raising their three kids while he was grafted into the kitchen.

When asked during an interview with The Times why their marriage ended, Heston said: ‘Who knows? People always look for one reason and life is more complex.

“Sure, my ex-wife was a big part of 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 star restaurant he first visited at the age of 16.

He credits the restaurant for kickstarting his desire to become a chef. Heston claims he returned to rediscover “the magic” of cooking after he stopped loving it.

Heston remains strongly associated with its British restaurants, including the 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)