Giada de Laurentiis and Bobby Flay: Celebrity chef says ‘It’s going to be what it’s going to be’

Dating rumors about Giada de Laurentiis and Bobby Flay have persisted for months. While both stars remain tight-lipped on the prospect, Giada recently offered a cryptic comment regarding she and Bobby–one that might raise more questions than it answers.

The Food Network star’s reps recently released a statement that addressed long-standing rumors of a relationship between Giada de Laurentiis and Bobby Flay, stating flatly that there had been nothing inappropriate between the pair while each was married. The statement also addressed claims–first reported by Star Magazine–that Giada’s extramarital affairs included John Meyer and Matt Lauer, along with Flay.

In addition, most recent statement from the star herself on the likelihood of a Giada de Laurentiis and Bobby Flay relationship going public only muddled matters. Far from offering a flat denial, Giada instead appeared to leave the door open for future exploration:

The last year of my life has been a little more tumultuous, and I’ve sort of started a new life on my own with my daughter. Cooking has really sort of redefined my life in a way that truly the moment of inspiration and true happiness is when I’m in the kitchen….[As far as Bobby goes], people are going to write what people are going to write. Luckily, my daughter’s still young enough that I can shelter her a little bit from it all, but I deal with it and I don’t really respond to it, and I move past it. It’s going to be what it’s going to be.

Furthermore, speculation has been rampant regarding the terms of the divorce between Giada and her ex-husband, fashion designer Todd Thompson (pictured with Giada above). The couple announced their divorce in late December of last year; in sharp contrast with Bobby Flay’s acrimonious divorce from Stephanie March, the de Laurentiis-Thompson split appeared, at least publicly, to be civil. (This despite the fact that rumors of a Giada de Laurentiis and Bobby Flay tryst persisted throughout the divorces for both–Giada was one of the many women with whom Flay allegedly cheated on March.)

Thompson, though, was already wealthy from his own career. And much was made of the lucrative terms of his divorce from Giada, once the details became public: Thompson gets $9,000 per month in child support; 50% of the royalties from all cookbooks Giada published or began work on while the two were married; and the couple’s $3.2 million house in Pacific Palisades CA. All that wealth has helped to fuel rumors that Thompson either knew or found out about affairs on Giada’s part–and that he wanted more money in order to keep quiet.

(Photo credits: Giada de Laurentiis and Bobby Flay via WENN; Giada via Instagram)