Anne Burrell gave her Worst Cooks in America cohost Gabe Bertaccini a piece of her heart before her death in June.
Bertaccini, 39, detailed one of his final interactions with Burrell, who died on June 17 at the age of 55, in an interview with TV Insider published on Thursday, July 24. He revealed that the Food Network chef gave him a sweet gift while filming season 29 of Worst Cooks in America — Burrell’s final TV project before she died.
“It was the finale. Everyone is tired. Weeks and weeks have gone by. We are celebrating the end of the shoot, and I get really sick,” Bertaccini explained. “I had this cold. I felt like crap. We go through the production meeting, and Anne hands me this card. It said, ‘I hope you feel better.’ In the card, there is this cute little heart that she crocheted. She loved to knit. She would do that while waiting for shooting time. This was relaxing to her.”
The Ciao House chef added that he “still” has the heart.
“It was such a beautiful gesture and completely unnecessary,” he continued. “That’s exactly who Anne was. There was no ego or competition. Someone to take a little bit of her time to do something like that for her cohost, it’s special. It’s a great memory that I’ll be taking with me.”
Burrell died by suicide, Us Weekly confirmed on Thursday. Her family confirmed her death in a statement to Us last month.
“Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend — her smile lit up every room she entered,” the statement read. “Anne’s light radiated far beyond those she knew, touching millions across the world. Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit, and boundless love remain eternal.”
She was found unresponsive at her home in Brooklyn, New York, and was pronounced dead “at the scene,” a spokesperson for the New York City Police Department told Us.
Anne Burrell. Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images
It was later revealed that the NYPD was investigating a possible overdose as her cause of death after she was “discovered in the shower unconscious and unresponsive surrounded by approximately (100) assorted pills,” according to an internal document obtained by The New York Times.
Us confirmed that Burrell’s cause of death was “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of diphenhydramine, ethanol, cetirizine, and amphetamine,” according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in New York City.
In his interview on Thursday, Bertaccini gushed about Burrell’s “authenticity” and the way she kept in touch with everyone from the show after filming.
“There are hundreds of people who work on this. They will tell you she was just authentically her. I loved her,” he said.
The final season of Anne Burrell’s Worst Cooks in America will air this summer. As reported by TVLine on Monday, June 23, Worst Cooks in America: Talented and Terrible will premiere on Monday, June 28, at 9 p.m. ET. on Food Network. The full season was filmed prior to Burrell’s unexpected death on June 17. […]
Bertaccini also said he hopes to celebrate Burrell when the new season of Worst Cooks in America airs this summer.
“I think that is exactly how the season should be approached by everyone who loves Anne and is a fan of Worst Cooks in America. That’s how I’m approaching it,” he said. “I had a chance to watch the screener for the premiere, just to get a refresher. The first five minutes were a bit hard for me. Just having all these memories of us working and spending time together come back.”
He continued, “That feeling was quickly taken over by the excitement you can see in Anne’s face. She was again hosting these horrible recruits when it comes to cooking and in the Food Network arena. We’re approaching it as a way to celebrate who Anne was and excitement to see her happiness and love for what she did on camera. There was something about it that made it even more special. Just to see how happy she was doing what she loves.”
Worst Cooks in America: Talented and Terrible premieres on Monday, July 28, at 9 p.m. ET on Food Network. It will be available to stream on HBO Max the following day.
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