28 January 2023 , 17:32
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TV chef Heston Blumenthal has confirmed he is engaged, only days after it was reported he had split from partner and mum to his youngest child, Stephanie Gouveia.
The Fat Duck restaurant owner and dad-of-four, 56, has said he's found his 'other half', and is to be wed to Melanie Ceysson, reported to be a French businesswoman.
Reports suggest that Heston and French estate agent Stephanie, 35, decided to call time on their relationship "some time ago".
It remains to be seen whether the pair will need to go through divorce procedures, with conflicting reports as to whether their 2018 ceremony was actually an official marriage.
Heston has split from Stephanie Gouveia (Jonathan Hordle/REX/Shutterstock)
The pair share one child together (WALLACE WOON/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)While a spokesperson for the star revealed they'd wed in 2018, a pal close to Stephanie claims that's not technically the case.
Heston Blumenthal 'splits' from estate agent 'wife' who is 21 years his junior
At the time, a spokesperson for the Michelin-starred chef said: "Heston and Stephanie are delighted to announce they've got married.
"They were spending some quality time together and decided to seize the moment."
The ceremony is said to have taken place while they holidayed in the Maldives, with the couple saying "I Do" in a beach-front reading.
However, a source told the Daily Mail : "Despite all the reports at the time, they were never married."
Heston moved to France in 2018 (AFP/Getty Images)And a spokesperson for Stephanie told the same publication: "Marriage should be recognised by legal authorities. This wasn't. What happened does not constitute a marriage in a legally binding sense."
This week, Heston confirmed his new romance, speaking from France where he is living with Melanie in a national park.
He told Daily Mail "I have found my other half", adding: "I am going to get officially married to Melanie."
Melanie was reportedly employed in the hospitality industry and has worked with Heston.
The Mirror has contacted Heston for comment.
The culinary trailblazer three children with his ex-wife Zanna; Zack, 25, Jessie, 22, and Joy, 20. He welcomed his youngest with Stephanie in 2018.
Heston Blumenthal, 56, marries for the third time to girlfriend, 36, in France
In recent years, Heston has stayed out of the spotlight, moving to France after he "had enough of cooking."
In an interview with the Times in October, he spoke about feeling lonely at the height of his success, and praised ex-wife Zanna.
He said: “Certainly, my ex-wife was a huge reason for the success of the Duck… Someone had to take the kids to school and do all that work and look after the house, because I was never there.”
Heston Blumenthal has taken a step back from fame in the last few years (Channel 4 Pictures)Although Heston has stayed away from our TV screens in recent years, his experimental dishes still make the headlines.
Last month, the chef outraged Christmas shoppers as he tried to sell mince pies with a bizarre twist. Known for his weird and whacky twists on classic foods, some fans thought his latest creation took his ideas a step too far.
The chef created a festive mince pie with a bizarre twist as it was made of a three-cheese pastry and filled with pear and fig mincemeat.