Ina Garten, the famous Food Network star, talked about how she was “terrified” of her father while growing up because he was physically abusive. In an interview with People published on September 4, Garten, 76, said she was so scared of him that she thought he might kill her if she did something wrong. She also mentioned that her mother wasn’t supportive during that time.
In her upcoming memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, Ina Garten talks about her “very lonely childhood” with her parents, Charles and Florence Rosenberg. The book comes out on Tuesday, October 1.
In the interview with People, Garten said that because of the constant threat of violence from her father, she was always scared, even if nothing was happening. She spent most of her childhood alone in her bedroom with the door closed, as a way to protect herself and stay safe.
Ina Garten and her older brother Ken Rosenberg, who grew up in Connecticut, both experienced abuse from their father. Although she has talked about having a tough childhood before, this is the first time Garten has shared details about her parents.
Before her father Charles passed away, Ina Garten and he reached an understanding. However, she never made peace with her mother, Florence. Garten said her mother never acknowledged Charles’s apology. This experience made Garten value and focus on meaningful relationships in her own life.
Garten said she didn’t know how to have relationships when she was younger. That’s why, as she’s gotten older, having good relationships has become very important to her.
When Ina Garten met her now-husband Jeffrey as a teenager, she went against her mother’s wishes for the first time in her life and married him after being together for four years, in 1968. The couple has stayed together ever since, though they never had children.
Ina Garten said in the interview that she overcame her tough childhood through sheer determination. She didn’t want to live that way for the rest of her life. She was set on changing her life and not falling back into what felt familiar. Meeting Jeffrey helped her see a completely different way to live.
