Heston Blumenthal Leaves Wife Zanna For Cookbook Writer Suzanne Pirret

UK star chef Heston Blumenthal, of the three-Michelin-starred restaurant The Fat Duck, has left his wife Zanna of 22 years, according to the Daily Mail. The pair have three teenaged kids. He has apparently taken up with American cook Suzanne Pirret, who released a cookbook for singles, The Pleasure Is All Mine, in 2009. She is not especially well-known, but her new dalliance has already prompted the UK media to dub her an "American cookbook goddess." You can catch a whiff of a Nigella Lawson resemblance in the video teaser for The Pleasure Is All Mine.

In 2009, Blumenthal told the Daily Mail that his wife handled "pretty much every aspect" of his domestic life. Both he and Zanna had often spoken to the press about the strength of their relationship and marriage.

The Fat Duck in Bray, England is known for daring culinary experiments like snail porridge and sardines-on-rye ice cream. It has been rated among the top five restaurants in the world every year since 2004, and was called the very best restaurant in the world in 2005. In addition to cooking there, Blumenthal has written eight cookbooks, starred in several TV shows and collaborated with grocery chain Waitrose on a successful line of products.

UPDATE: Australia's Daily Telegraph just posted their take on the Blumenthal-Pirret romance -- including a borderline-sizzly snapshot of the pair standing together outside a Sydney restaurant. The kicker? The pictures were first published way back in March.

(Pictured above: Heston Blumenthal and his wife Zanna.)