When news broke on Tuesday that celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis is “in love” with her new boyfriend, TV producer Shane Farley, it apparently came as a shock to Farley’s wife of 15 years, whom he’s in the process of divorcing.
E! Online enthused in a story about De Laurentiis’ new love — “5 Things to Know About Giada De Laurentiis’ Boyfriend Shane Farley” — that “he’s a charmer” and “he’s genuine.” But a source noted, “They just left off he’s technically still married. When he first met Giada, he was still very much married.”
E! reported Farley and De Laurentiis first met in 2013 when he was meant to produce a show for her and Bobby Flay. De Laurentiis’ rep insisted to Page Six the pair just began dating this past August.
Documents in New York Supreme Court reveal Farley filed for a divorce on March 30 from Manhattan personal trainer Jennifer Giamo. Her lawyer, Barry S. Guaglardi, told us on Wednesday after E!’s report, “My client is devastated by what she has learned through the tabloids . . . ‘Hurtful’ would be a mild characterization.” A source said of the divorce proceeding, “They’re just in the middle of it.”
De Laurentiis hinted about her new man on “The Wendy Williams Show” Nov. 4, two months after finalizing her own divorce from Todd Thompson. When Williams asked De Laurentiis if she had a boyfriend, she replied, “I’m gonna say kind of . . . And I will tell you, this is the first time I’ve actually said that.” Williams added, “I could just read Page Six and find everything out, or you could just come clean now!” Well, keep on reading, Wendy!
After filing for divorce, Farley relocated to LA, where De Laurentiis is reportedly buying a $6 million Pacific Palisades mansion that belonged to Benny Goodman. De Laurentiis, married for 11 years, has previously denied rumors she dated Flay.
Lawyers for Farley — whose credits include “Rachael Ray,” “Big Morning Buzz” and “FabLife” — said, “No comment.”
De Laurentiis’ rep told us, “Giada and Shane are indeed dating but did not start dating until this past August.” He said suggestions they’d been romantically involved earlier were “outright false.”