It was reported that chef Heston Blumenthal, 56, and French estate agent Stephanie Gouveia – who is 21 years younger than him – married in the Maldives in 2018, three months after welcoming a child together.
At the time, a representative for the Michelin star chef said in a statement: “Heston and Stephanie are delighted to announce they’ve got married.
“They were spending some quality time together and decided to seize the moment.”
However, it is understood that they separated some time ago and it has now been reported that their marriage was never legally binding.
A friend of Stephanie’s told MailOnline: “Despite all the reports at the time, they were never married.
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“Marriage should be recognised by legal authorities. This wasn’t.
“What happened does not constitute a marriage in a legally binding sense.”
It seems that the pair have been separated since at least October 2022 as Heston was reported as seeming “very in love” with a mystery dark-haired woman during an interview with The Times.
The journalist wrote: “While Blumenthal has his photograph taken for this feature, a low-key French woman, younger than him, with black hair, sits quietly at a table tapping away on a computer.
Heston left the UK to live in France back in 2018, the same year he exchanged vows with Stephanie.
During their time together, many reports circulated that they had hit a “turbulent time” just months after welcoming their child.
A source told The Sun at the time: “It is fair to say they have had a turbulent time — but they are trying to work through it.”