Ina Garten Says Her Father's Abuse Made Her Fear For Her Life As A Child

Chef Ina Garten is sharing her harrowing memories of surviving childhood abuse.

Ahead of the release of her memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, the star of cooking program The Barefoot Contessa told People she how her late father, surgeon Charles Rosenberg, used to beat her and pull her hair when he was angry, something that made young Garten scared for her life.

I was terrified, she told the magazine. I was physically afraid of my dad. I literally remember thinking he would kill me if I did something. I was physically afraid of him. And my mother just was unsupportive.

While her mother, Florence Rosenberg, was never physically violent, the cookbook author said she was controlling. Garten remembered being told she couldnt decorate her childhood bedroom the color purple, as she wanted, because her mom said it would turn out badly.

It was something she said to me a lot, she told People.

Still, the Food Network star said her room became a safe haven from both her parents abuse.

If theres a threat of violence, youre always afraid, even when its not happening, she explained. So I basically spent my entire childhood in my bedroom with a door closed. I think it was just protection. It was just to keep myself safe.

She told People that her father tried to make amends for his abuse later in life. He, in his own way, apologized, she said, adding, My mom never acknowledged it.

Garten spent time reflecting on her difficult relationship with her dad in an Instagram post this past Fathers Day, in which she shared a photo of him walking her down the aisle at her 1968 wedding to her husband, Jeffrey Garten.

My dad and I had a complicated relationship when I was young, but once I got married we were able to change that, she wrote. Im really grateful for the positive happy times that we spent together, and thinking back he had a huge influence on my life.

The chef has also said that being a survivor of childhood abuse influenced her decision to never have children.

Speaking of her painful upbringing and choice to be child-free during a 2023 interview with BBC News, she said, It was nothing I wanted to recreate.

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline .