Celebrity chef Rick Stein has admitted it is “difficult” working with his ex-wife Jill. The pair were married for 32 years before splitting in 2002, finalising their divorce in 2007, following Rick’s affair with Sarah Burns.
Family business complications
The couple already owned a business together, which complicated matters when Rick married Sarah in 2011. Rick’s three children with Jill – sons Jack, Edward and Charles – are also involved in the business.
Rick told The Times that he often avoids meeting with Jill and instead discusses his restaurants with Sarah. He said: “That's a difficult one. The thing is, we just try to avoid confrontation. So we don't tend to communicate on a daily basis at all. In fact, I communicate with Sas [Sarah] much more about this business than with Jill, because Sas has a background in hospitality.”
Jill's decades of work
Jill has spent around three decades managing the front-of-house of the restaurant and working for Rick’s brand while he was away. She previously explained: “I was the front of house, so all the customers knew me and Marie, the local girl who worked for us. The two of us did it together. Once [Rick] got on TV, then of course the whole thing changed.”
She told The Caterer that “hospitality is my life”. Her career started in a Manchester bar when she was 19, and she went on to open The Seafood Restaurant in 1975 with Rick.
Working with his sons
Working with his sons is “what it’s all about” for Rick. He said: “That loyalty is so important. Of course mistakes are made, but the commitment of everybody is never in question. That's really what family businesses can be all about.”
The business expanded to include 12 restaurants, a pub and 40 guest bedrooms, along with shops and a cooking school. Jill helped to design the interiors for many of Rick’s businesses, including Rick Stein’s Cafe, Stein’s Fish and Chips and St Petroc’s Bistro.
Reflections on the affair
Rick was candid about his affair with Sarah, which started in a professional capacity before the pair fell in love. He admitted in his memoir: “In 2002, I moved out of the family home. That same year, my son Edward married his girlfriend Kate. The wedding was enchanting but I went to it feeling like an outcast.”
He said: “I’d never [cheated] before and I certainly won’t do it again, that’s for sure. I’m just so happy now.” Adding of Jill: “We didn’t have a life outside the business and we kind of fell out of love.”
