The culinary world was left in shock following the sudden passing of Anne Burrell on June 17, 2025. The beloved Food Network star, known for her bold personality, signature spiky blonde hair, and unmatched energy in the kitchen, died at the age of 55 at her Brooklyn home. A cause of death has not yet been made public.
Burrell wasn’t just a TV chef—she was a mentor, a comfort presence for millions of food lovers, and a joyful force on screen. Beyond her decorated culinary career, she also experienced love in many forms, having openly shared her identity as a lesbian in the past before marrying a man later in life.
Who Is Anne Burrell’s Husband, Stuart Claxton?
Claxton is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at NextUp, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing women into executive leadership roles. He brings a wealth of experience in media, branding, and strategic communications, having previously held prominent roles at Guinness World Records, Time Inc., and TelevisaUnivision.
Burrell and Claxton met in 2018 on the dating app Bumble. At the time, Burrell wasn’t expecting to find “the one,” but something about Claxton clicked right away.
“I don’t know if we had both thought of marriage, but we both were like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is something,’” she told PEOPLE years later. The pair moved in together, got engaged during the early days of the pandemic in her hometown of Cazenovia, and tied the knot in a charming fall wedding on October 16, 2021.
The wedding was everything Burrell had dreamed of—complete with a horse-drawn carriage, a Carolina Herrera gown, and burnt orange party dresses for her bridesmaids. Rachael Ray stood by her side as one of them, and Claxton’s son Javier served as best man.
In 2023, Claxton described married life as an “adventure,” saying the two had never lived together before marriage, which made everything feel fresh and full of surprises. “It’s been wonderful, to say the least,” he told PEOPLE.
They Built a Beautiful Life Together With Claxton’s Son
Though Anne never had children of her own, she took on the role of stepmother to Claxton’s son, Javier. While the family largely kept their private life low-key, Javier did appear on Burrell’s Instagram from time to time, most recently when the trio attended a cricket match together.
Burrell had previously admitted she never saw herself walking down the aisle, especially after turning 50 and having focused so heavily on her career. But meeting Stuart changed her mind.
“I was like, ‘I want the fairy tale! I’m only going to be a bride once!’” she gushed during an appearance on The Rachael Ray Show. And true to her words, she embraced it all with joy and heart.
Anne Burrell Once Confirmed She Was a Lesbian
Before meeting Stuart, Anne Burrell had publicly confirmed that she was a lesbian. In 2012, cookbook author and Chopped host Ted Allen made a casual reference to Burrell dating a woman during a radio interview. That moment sparked headlines suggesting Burrell had been “outed,” but she quickly cleared the air.
“Anne doesn’t feel she was outed,” her rep told Page Six at the time. “She has made no secret of her relationship.” Burrell later confirmed she had been in a relationship with her girlfriend, chef Koren Grieveson, for two years by that point.
That same year, on New Year’s Eve, Burrell tweeted that she and Grieveson were engaged. However, the engagement did not last. By 2018, Burrell had moved on and was dating Claxton, who would go on to become her husband.
While Burrell never labeled her sexuality in public, she lived openly and authentically. In a world where many still struggle to live their truth, Burrell’s openness stood out.
