Anne Burrell's heartbreaking gesture to Worst Cooks in America co-star before shock death at 55

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

Anne Burrell made a poignant gesture to her Worst Cooks in America co-star before her shock death aged 55.
Last month Burrell, who hosted Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and co-hosted Worst Cooks, was found dead inside her Brooklyn apartment and 'surrounded by pills'.
Her cause of death was confirmed as suicide this week.
Ahead of the airing of her final TV appearance on Worst Cooks in America: Talented and Terrible on July 28, her co-host Gabe Bertaccini opened up about her final gift to him when filming wrapped.
He told TV Insider of his final meet with Burrell: 'It was the finale. Everyone is tired. Weeks and weeks have gone by. We are celebrating the end of the shoot, and I get really sick. I had this cold. I felt like crap. We go through the production meeting and Anne hands me this card. It said, 'I hope you feel better.'
'In the card, there is this cute little heart that she crocheted. She loved to knit. She would do that while waiting for shooting time. This was relaxing to her. The night before she got the car. I still have it. It was such a beautiful gesture and completely unnecessary. That's exactly who Anne was. There was no ego or competition.
'Someone to take a little bit of her time to do something like that for her cohost, it's special. It's a great memory that I'll be taking with me.'
He added of the 'generous' star: 'Anne was just Anne throughout the show, after the show, at dinner, texting, or whatever. There was an authenticity that came with Anne. There are hundreds of people who work on this. They will tell you she was just authentically her. I loved her. '
According to the New York City medical examiner's office, Burrell's cause of death was listed as 'acute intoxication due to the combined effects of diphenhydramine, ethanol, cetirizine, and amphetamine.'
Diphenhydramine and cetirizine are both antihistamines, ethanol is a type of alcohol, and amphetamine is a stimulant often prescribed for ADHD.
Burrell's family declined the publication's request for comment.
The Food Network star was found 'in the shower unconscious and unresponsive surrounded by approximately (100) assorted pills', according to NYPD documents seen by The New York Times.
Emergency medical teams responded to the home that she shared with her husband Stuart Claxton but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
On June 20, a spokeswoman for the city's medical examiner's office confirmed that Burrell's autopsy had been completed but findings on the exact cause of her death was still pending.
Claxton reportedly last saw his wife alive at about 1AM the night prior before discovering her unconscious between six to seven hours later in their bathroom.
He told TV Insider of his final meet with Burrell: 'It was the finale. Everyone is tired. Weeks and weeks have gone by. We are celebrating the end of the shoot, and I get really sick. Anne hands me this card. It said, 'I hope you feel better.'
It was reported earlier this week that EMS crews had attempted CPR on Burrell but could not resuscitate her.
Her family said in a statement: 'Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend — her smile lit up every room she entered.
'Anne's light radiated far beyond those she knew, touching millions across the world. Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit, and boundless love remain eternal.'
A Food Network spokesperson added, 'Anne was a remarkable person and culinary talent – teaching, competing and always sharing the importance of food in her life and the joy that a delicious meal can bring.
'Our thoughts are with Anne's family, friends and fans during this time of tremendous loss.'
Just hours before her passing Burrell had performed a improv show at a comedy club in Brooklyn, after having taken classes at the venue's training center.
In a podcast earlier this year she spoke with Tori Spelling on taking the classes and how she planned to expand her horizons.
She said: 'I just started taking acting classes. I started yesterday, actually... It's like an improv for actors' class.
'I got there and it's like eight people in the class. I'm the oldest one. Every other person has like, 'Oh, I have a master's in fine arts in theater.''
Burrell showed off her self-awareness and sense of humor that her fans were familiar with as she joked about the age gap between she and her fellow students.
She said: 'I'm like, 'okay, I've never taken an acting class. I don't know, this is new to me.'
'I wonder if these delightful and super talented kids look at me and they're like, 'What's this old lady doing here?''
The television personality had taken a break from her show Worst Cooks In America for season 28 which baffled many fans and Spelling, 52, asked at the time what led her to that decision.
Burrell answered: 'I can cook, yes, I can do TV, but also, what else? I've got more to do in my life, I feel like.'
She also admitted that she was just 'dipping my toe' when it came to the pivot to acting.
Burrell explained: 'I feel very excited about it. I've got a few other things that I'm working on as well, which I'm not quite ready to share yet. Hopefully, exciting [are] things coming.'
Gigi Hadid, who famously appeared on the cooking competition series Beat Bobby Flay with Burrell, led the celebrities expressing their heartbreak over Burrell's death.
'I am heartbroken to hear of the loss of the Great Anne Burrell,' the supermodel, 30, began.
Hadid included a photo of herself and Burrell from their time filming Beat Bobby Flay back in 2023.
'As a longtime fan, getting to share this day with her was a dream come true. Beat Bobby. Hang. Eat,' she recalled.
'I wish we could have done it again. She was awesome. Rest in Peace Legend.'
Chef Carla Hall, who previously appeared on Food Network's Top Chef, called Burrell an 'incredible cook and teacher.'
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy star Carson Kressley, who was a close friend of Burrell's, revealed that he spoke to her just days before her death.
He also shared a post to his own Instagram page which included a photo of him and Burrell.
'Rest easy, Chef Anne. I'm so blessed I was able to work with you, learn from you, laugh with you.
'So many memories - on screen and off - I cherish this photo of us living our best lives, as the kids say,' Kressley wrote.
The TV chef - who became synonymous with her trademark spiky platinum hair - is survived by husband, whom she wed in October 2021 in an autumn-themed ceremony and reception in her hometown of Cazenovia, New York.
She is also survived by her mother Marlene and sister Jane and her children Isabella, Amelia and Nicolas, and her brother Ben.
Burrell developed a passion for cooking at a young age, inspired by her mother's home-cooked meals and by watching food icon Julia Child on television.
After earning a degree in English and Communications from Canisius College in Buffalo in 1991, she followed her culinary dreams and enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, graduating in 1996.
She worked at a whole host of New York City hotspots including Felidia and Savoy in Soho, where she honed her craft in Mediterranean cuisine.
She was later thrust into the spotlight and became best known as the longtime host of Worst Cooks in America.
The show, which ran for 28 seasons, saw celebrated chefs mentor amateur cooks in an attempt to transform them from rookies to kitchen experts.
Elsewhere, she appeared on Chef Wanted, Chopped, Food Network Star, and most recently, competition series House of Knives - which premiered in March this year.
She also penned two of her own cookbooks - Cook Like a Rock Star and Own Your Kitchen: Recipes to Inspire & Empower.