Rachael Ray Honors ‘Special’ Anne Burrell After Death & Reflects on Being Her Bridesmaid

Rachael Ray, who worked with Anne Burrell on four seasons of Worst Cooks in America, mourned the late chef’s death with a touching Instagram tribute. The ladies were real-life friends outside of the kitchen and Ray said she’s “heartbroken” and “shaken” by the news that Burrell has died at the age of 55.

“Anne was a rockstar! I came to know her well through multiple seasons of Worst Cooks on Food Network, and she became so much more than a colleague,” Ray reflected. “Anne honored me by asking me to be her bridesmaid, something I’d only done once before for my sister. Despite being surrounded by incredible chefs, she never once made me feel self-conscious about not being one — she always treated me as one of the gang. When we hosted Worst Cooks together, we had the most incredible laughs. She even cooked for me and my guests at my wedding anniversary in Italy.”

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Being Burrell’s bridesmaid at her 2021 wedding to Stuart Claxton was an extraordinary honor for Ray. The ladies also discussed this when Burrell was a guest on Ray’s podcast just six months ago in December.

“I have to say, Anne, my own sister has been married a few times, and I only got to be in one of her weddings,” Ray told her friend at the time. “The only person who ever asked me to be in their wedding other than my family member was you. It made me burst into tears. I was so honored to be there.”

The women also had an empowering conversation about gender stereotypes, with Burrell noting, “I think that it’s kind of funny that, oh, because you’re a tough, strong woman, that you can’t be kind and nice at the same time. Or feminine. She’s either tough, or she’s nice. or she’s feminine. Like, why can’t it just be all of those things? And, like, why does it have to feel like a novel concept to have a woman that is all of those kind of things?”

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Burrell added that she likes to “maintain [her] femininity” by wearing skirts in the kitchen. “I’m a badass girl chef and I own that and I love that,” she said, later adding, “People are more than just one thing. So I feel like, you know, especially for successful women, they’re either tough, or if they’re feeling, then they’re weak. That sort of irritates the crap out of me.”

Ray agreed, calling the stereotyping “bulls**t” and assuring Burrell that she’s “living proof” that women can be “both.”

To conclude her tribute after Burrell’s death, Ray said, “I’ll never forget walking into our dressing rooms at Food Network studios early in the morning and hearing her blasting the song of the moment down the hall. Anne had great taste in music and in life — she was a force in the kitchen, in any room, in every life she touched. I’ll miss her friendship deeply. Everyone whose life she touched will miss her. Sending love to Stuart and everyone who knew and loved Anne. We’ve lost someone truly special.”