Bobby Flay Says He and Brooke Williamson Are a ‘Permanent Couple’

Chef power couple Bobby Flay and Brooke Williamson are here to stay!

The Bobby’s Triple Threat star, 61, opened up about his relationship with girlfriend Williamson, 47, in the Monday, Jan. 19 episode of his podcast, Bobby on the Beat — and referred to the pair as a “permanent couple.”

Flay first broached the topic by mentioning the diamond ring he purchased for the Top Chef winner, which sparked engagement rumors online. The sparkler was not a proposal, but rather a “sign of commitment,” Flay said in the podcast episode.

“What did I call you the other day? My romantic partner,” Williamson then interjected, as Flay agreed, “Yeah, exactly. We’re a permanent couple — let’s put it that way.”

“Sounds so permanent,” Williamson remarked.

Flay also recalled the moment he gifted his partner, who first announced their relationship in March 2025, the sparkler in London. The gesture, Williamson admitted, was “a little bit confusing in the moment.”

“I mean, imagine opening like a little blue box with a giant diamond ring inside, and on a park bench on a beautiful day in London, Regent’s Park in the Japanese garden. It was a perfect day,” she continued, recalling that her exact words upon opening the box were, “What the f— is this?”

After Flay shared a snap of the ring last fall, rumors spread online that the celebrity chefs had gotten engaged — but a source shut down the rumors to PEOPLE.

“It was a gift from Bobby,” the source said of the ring at the time. “I’ve never seen them happier, and they are fully committed to one another.”

Long before his “permanent couple” remark, Flay has been open about the fact that he does not want to remarry.

During an October 2024 appearance on Kristin Cavallari‘s podcast Let’s Be Honest, Flay spoke about what he’s looking for in his next relationship. (Months earlier, PEOPLE had reported his split from writer Christina Pérez in June after three years together.)

Asked if marriage is “off the table completely,” Flay told Cavallari, “If you asked me today, I’d say probably, yes. I don’t know.”

“For me, it hasn’t been the best situation. That said, I don’t feel like I need to do it again. I have an amazing daughter who is 28 years old,” he said, referring to child Sophie Flay, whom he shares with ex-wife Kate Connelly. “I’m not having any more kids as far as I know.”

“I would be interested in a life partner for sure,” Flay added at the time. “But I don’t think it necessarily needs the documentation.”

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Months after debuting his relationship with Williamson, Flay echoed the sentiment — and revealed that his now-girlfriend, who finalized her divorce from ex-husband Nick Roberts in 2024, feels similarly.

“We both don’t want to get married again,” the chef said on the Elvis Duran and the Morning Show last November. “It’s okay. So, like, it’s great having a life partner.”

Referring to the ring he gifted Williamson, he then added that he “wanted to give her something significant to make her feel committed. That’s all.”