Inside Rachael Ray's Marriage After Her Huge House Fire
Celebrity cook and TV personality Rachael Ray has been married to John Cusimano for over 15 years (via People). The star met her future husband at a mutual friend's party, and the duo basically became inseparable (via Wide Open Eats). The couple would wed in Tuscany in 2005, and go back to the same castle to renew their vows a decade later (via Rachael Ray Mag).
By all accounts, their marriage has been pretty perfect, with Ray saying in August of 2020 that the Covid-19 pandemic forcing them to quarantine together gave them, "a deeper appreciation of each other" (via Us Weekly).
Then, that same month, the couple's Lake Luzerne, New York home went up in flames while Ray was making dinner, and Cusimano was upstairs getting ready (via Delish). About the terrifying ordeal, the TV host said, "I couldn't be more grateful. Grateful for my life, grateful that I can survive this and rebuild a home. We're gonna get there stronger and better."
And it turns out the incident has indeed brought the couple closer.
This is how Rachael Ray and John Cusimano keep each other grounded
Speaking to People this month, Ray said about the huge house fire's effect on her relationship, "We knew we'd get through this together." The rebuilding of their home, which the star says she designed from scratch, would take a year.
The cookbook author describes her and Cusimano's personalities as "volatile" but "practical" but recounts, "We're like, 'These are the things that must be accomplished today. And we will get to this only by doing what work is necessary.'"
She admits some days can be tougher than others with everything they've been through, but adds, "At the end of the day, John and I, we always come back to grateful." Ray joked, "We're like Moonstruck over here. We just keep saying, 'Stop your whining and snap out of it.' "
Meeting later in life helps the couple face challenges
Taking to Instagram to commemorate the couple's wedding anniversary in 2019, Ray noted, "John and I make sense. We don't care when we eat, we care that we eat together. And we've been together, this John and this Rachael, every day since the day we met. And that's something. It's a lot. And some days, it's everything. I love you" (via Delish).
She acknowledged to People that since she didn't say "I do" to Cusimano until they were almost 40 years old, "We knew who we were. We've always been that way, for 20 years. We don't take it too much to heart when one person just has to vent or blow up. We're very good at being quiet also, with each other. We don't look for there to be constant chatter. And we're very good with giving each other space to work on our passions."
The couple is so secure, they are even keeping up a united front while filming her show at their home in light of the pandemic. But Ray admits things aren't perfect, telling People, "He never set out to work in television. He didn't want to be a camera person or a lighting director or all the different jobs he has to fill here now. That's been a challenge for him."