Celebrity chef Ina Garten, 75, admits her husband would have 'really LOVED' to have had children - but gave up his dream of becoming a dad because he wanted her to be 'happy'

Ina Garten has candidly admitted that her husband, Jeffery, would have 'really loved' to have had kids - but sacrificed that dream in order to fully support her decision to remain child-free.

The famed chef opened up about when she realized that she never wanted to become a mom, discussing what led her to the decision in a recent appearance on Julia Louis-Dreyfus podcast: Wiser Than Me.

The 76-year-old spoke about having 'no interest in having children,' and how her husband of over 50 years, Jeffrey Garten, 77, has always been supportive of her choice. 

Ina, who is releasing her memoir Be Ready When the Luck Happens on October 1, said her decision not to grow their family stems from her 'terrible childhood.' 

Ina Garten has candidly admitted that her husband, Jeffery, would have 'loved' having kids - but has always fully supported her decision not to

Although the chef said she thinks Jeffrey would have been a great parent, her childhood wasn't something she wanted to recreate

'It was nothing I wanted to recreate,' she explained, adding it 'wasn't a struggle at all' to decided she didn't want kids of her own.

'I think Jeffrey would have been a great parent,' the celebrity chef acknowledged. 

'He would have really loved having children. But, he wanted me to be happy, and it was OK with him,' she said.

Although the cook admitted she could 'understand what [motherhood] could be' after her friends started having children, when she got married at 20, she 'didn't want to have anything to do with it.'

'I don't know where that certainty came from, but I was really sure of that,' the Food Network star said adamantly.

Ina, who grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, with her surgeon father, Charles, and her dietician mother, Florence, has long been open about how her 'obsessive' mom restricted her eating as a child, and didn't let her cook - despite her falling in love with the activity from a young age. 

The Barefoot Contessa taught herself to be a professional cook by studying Julia Child's cookbook - has spoken out about her strained relationship with her mother on numerous occasions.

In 2017, she told Katie Couric on her Next Question podcast that becoming a cook felt like the 'ultimate rebellion' against her 'obsessive' mother, who spent years controlling her diet.

Ina said that Jeffrey, would have 'really loved having children' and 'would have been a great parent,' she knew motherhood wasn't for her

Ina Garten has opened up about her decision to not have children, explaining that she made the choice because she didn't want to 'recreate' what she went through during her childhood

Ina and Jeffrey got married in 1968 with the chef saying that's when her life 'began'

'My mother was obsessive about food,' she shared at the time. 'So we weren't allowed any carbs, we weren't allowed any butter. We had margarine. And her idea of a great dessert was an apple.'

She reflected on her childhood again in 2021 in an appearance on Al Roker's podcast, Cooking Up A Storm, explaining that she turned to cooking because she 'craved connection' as a kid.

She also revealed how her mom never allowed her in the kitchen, despite her passion for cooking being obvious from a young age.

In 2023, the chef sat down with Katty Kay for an interview with the BBC, she said  concerns about balancing motherhood with her career wasn't what led her to the decision and writing her memoir helped her clarify her feelings.

'I'm actually writing a memoir now and I'm kind of looking back at my childhood - it was nothing I wanted to recreate,' she shared. 

'Looking back, I realize a lot of my decisions were based on my childhood. That was really the motivating factor. And Jeffrey and I were just so happy together.'

'I don't know, I think my mother just wanted me in my room and she wanted the kitchen to herself,' she explained.

'She said, "It's your job to study, it's my job to cook. Get out of the kitchen." So I kind of always wanted to do it.

'I think what I was craving as a child was connecting with people and I felt that if you feed them, they always show up and you have a good time together. That was the connection I loved so, I kept doing it over and over again.'

Ina (seen with Jeffrey) admitted: 'A lot of my decisions were based on my childhood, that was the motivating factor'

Ina went on to drop a whopping 13 cookbooks in total and starred in her own Food Network program for 29 seasons before it came to an end in 2021

To Ina, her marriage to Jeffery in 1968 was when her 'life began,' telling Eater in 2015 she has nothing in her home from her childhood.

When asked more about it, she said, '[My mom] wasn't the warmest, funniest person around.'

Ina began her career off by working as the White House budget analyst, while slowly refining her cooking skills. 

She left her government job in 1978 and purchased a food store in New York called Barefoot Contessa.

The acclaimed chef spent more than two decades growing her business, and released her first cookbook in 1999.

The book was hugely successful and launched career as a cook.

Ina began making frequent appearances on Martha Stewart's show before landing her own Food Network program, called Barefoot Contessa, in 2002.

Since then, Ina has released a whopping 13 cookbooks in total and has embarked on a slew of other business endeavors. Her show went on for 29 seasons before coming to an end in 2021.