Bobby Flay-Stephanie March split turns ugly

Things are getting a little bit nasty up in New York City — and we’re not talking about the rainy weather.

Bobby Flay’s marriage to Law & Order: SVU attorney Stephanie March is over, but their split seems to turn uglier by the day.

Over the weekend, The New York Post dished that the reason for the breakup is that Flay was having an affair with his assistant, Elyse Tirrell. The 20-something aspiring singer/actress reportedly traveled with Flay to the South Beach Wine & Food Fest back in February. That didn’t sit well with March, since the fest coincided with the ex couple’s 10th anniversary.

So is it true? Hmmm.

“We will continue to refrain from responding to the continued efforts by certain parties to spread rumors and innuendo,” the Food Network personality’s rep told E! News, adding that the cheating talk is being stirred up so that the stars’ prenup can be amended.

Flay, who has managed thus far to keep his personal life out of the tabloids — except for that time he was linked to the newly single Giada de Laurentiis — isn’t the first celebrity chef to be dogged by scandal. Here’s a brief look back at some of his colleagues’ past issues:

Nigella Lawson: In June 2013, photographs were published in the UK press of the Nigella Bites’ star’s husband of 10 years, art collector Charles Saatchi, grabbing her by the throat while at a restaurant. Lawson later said in court she was the victim of “intimate terrorism.” The two announced their divorce the next month.

Paula Deen: Also in June 2013, word got out that the Queen of Southern Cuisine used the n-word during a deposition in a discrimination lawsuit by a former employee of her Savannah, Georgia, restaurant. Life —and endorsement deals — started crumbling soon afterward. Deen has managed to climb her way back up, launching a mobile game and digital broadcast network. A new eatery, Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is set to open Monday.

Cat Cora: In June 2012, the former Around the World in 80 Plates star was arrested in Santa Barbara, California, and charged with DUI after rear-ending another car. The mother of four was sentenced to three years’ probation and fined $2,386. The Iron Chef later apologized for the incident and said that her designated driver “became unavailable.”

Pat and Gina Neely: The couple who cooks together, stays together? Not in this case. The former stars of Food Network’s Down Home with The Neelys announced their divorce after 20 years in marriage in September 2014. The barbecue pros announced jointly that “irreconcilable differences” were to blame. According to court documents, the two were living separately for the last two seasons of their show and had to fake their feelings for the camera.

Todd English: Summertime must be tough for food personalities. The famed restaurateur (among his many spots is Fig’s in Palm Beach Gardens) was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated in Long Island, New York, in late August of last year. The next month, English entered a rehab program. That’s not all the juice: In October 2009, the dashing kitchen whiz left his bride-to-be Erica Wang at the altar and reportedly made Wang, his ex personal assistant, pick up the tab for the final charges of the lavish wedding that was not to be.

This story was originally published April 20, 2015 at 5:32 PM with the headline "Bobby Flay-Stephanie March split turns ugly."