She’s smitten! Food Network personality Anne Burrell and boyfriend Stuart Claxton are engaged after nearly two years of dating.
The Secrets of a Restaurant Chef host, 50, announced the happy news via Instagram on Tuesday, April 21, and received a hearty helping of well-wishes from her culinary colleagues. Claxton, 48, popped the question while the couple self-isolated in Cazenovia, New York, with Burrell’s family.
“A tiny bit of good news in these crazy times…. We are engaged!!! @stuartclaxton I am a VERY #luckygirl !!!,” the former Institute of Culinary Education instructor wrote, showing off her sparkly new ring as she posed beside the Univision ad sales marketer.
The pair met on the dating app Bumble in 2018. At the time, Claxton had no idea that he had swiped right on a major Food Network star. “It was a wonderful surprise,” he told Today after the happy news made headlines. “You know, on social, the photos are never as good as the real thing. When she sat down in front of me, I was like, ‘Wow, she’s so hot.'”
Though she quickly fell for the marketing mogul, Burrell admitted that walking down the aisle was never a big priority for her. “I mean, I’m 50. It didn’t seem [like] it would be in the cards for me,” she told Today. “I had always been so focused on my career.”
Congratulations from fans and friends flooded Burrell’s Instagram page quickly after the couple made their big announcement. “Hell yes! Congrats to both of you. Cannot wait to rent a tux for your wedding,” The Kitchen host Jeff Mauro wrote, as Tao chef Chris Santos popped champagne emojis in the comments.
While the coronavirus pandemic didn’t put a damper on Claxton’s proposal, the couple may have to put wedding planning on hold for the time being. “We just want to bask in the glow of this right now,” Burrell told Today.
The Chef Wanted host couldn’t be more excited to start her life with her new partner by her side — and Claxton is equally eager. “When they made Anne, they broke the mold,” he gushed over his fiancée.