Ina Garten Details Childhood Being ‘Terrified’ of Abusive Father

Food Network legend Ina Garten recalled being “terrified” of her father while growing up — revealing that he was physically abusive throughout her childhood.

“I was physically afraid of my dad,” Garten, 76, told People in an interview published on Wednesday, September 4. “I literally remember thinking he would kill me if I did something. I was physically afraid of him. And my mother just was unsupportive.”

The Barefoot Contessa host further details her “very lonely childhood” growing up with late parents Charles and Florence Rosenberg in the forthcoming memoir Be Ready When the Luck Happens, set to be released on Tuesday, October 1.

“If there’s a threat of violence, you’re always afraid, even when it’s not happening. So, I basically spent my entire childhood in my bedroom with a door closed,” Garten said during the same People interview. “I think it was just protection. It was just to keep myself safe.”

She and older brother Ken Rosenberg, who grew up in Connecticut, both suffered abuse at the hands of their father. While she previously detailed having a difficult childhood, this is the first time Garten offered any details about her parents.

While Garten came to an understanding with Charles before he died, she never reconciled with Florence.

“He, in his own way, apologized and my mom never acknowledged it,” Garten shared, explaining how her mother’s indifference inspired her to prioritize meaningful relationships in her own life.

“She really didn’t know how to have a relationship,” Garten recalled. “Which is why I think, as I’ve gotten older, having relationships is so important to me.”

That’s why when she met now-husband Jeffrey Garten as a teenager, the chef defied her mother’s wishes for “the first time in my life” and married him after four years together in 1968. The couple, who never had children, have been together ever since.

“I think I overcame my childhood just by sheer determination,” the Barefoot Contessa star shared in Wednesday’s interview. “I just wasn’t about to spend my life like that. And I think, a lot of times, people make a decision to live their lives differently and they end up sliding back into what they feel is familiar and I was determined not to do that. And then I met Jeffrey and he just showed me a totally different way to live.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.