Bobby Flay And Girlfriend Christina Perez Have A Bigger Age Gap Than We Thought

There was a time in the early- to mid-2010s that the intensity of Bobby Flay's love life seemed to have taken over his life. In 2010, the word on the street was that Flay might be the father of January Jones' baby, a rumor prompted by his coming to her rescue when she crashed her car after having reportedly just met her. In 2015, Flay's marriage to Stephanie March came crashing down after the "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" alum accused him of cheating on her with — yes — Jones, but also two other women.

But Flay's personal life has seemingly calmed down since. After being in a low-profile relationship with Heléne Yorke between 2016 and 2019, Flay may have found the one in Christina Pérez. The Food Network star met the writer and creative director in late 2020. They kept their relationship pretty private until a year later, when she was his plus-one at the Breeders' Cup World Championship. And Flay's happiness has become evident to those around him.

"I walked over to two friends, and ... they were like, 'We're talking about you! It's so nice to see you so happy,'" he told People in December 2021. More than two and a half years into it, the two are still going strong. Pérez often gives insight into the relationship on her Instagram, sharing snaps of her smooth face pressed against Flay's freckled cheeks. And she doesn't just have really nice skin. She's actually quite younger than Flay.

In September 2022, Christina Pérez was 40 while Bobby Flay was 57, putting their age gap at a significant 17 years. In fact, Pérez is closer in age to Flay's daughter Sophie than with him. Flay welcomed Sophie with his second wife, former Food Network host Kate Connelly, in April 1996, which means that she was 26 in September 2022, making her around 14 years younger than Pérez. And Sophie is seemingly okay with that. 

"Sophie and Christina have a great relationship, which obviously that's an amazing thing too," Flay told Entertainment Tonight in August 2022. "It's important that Sophie likes my girlfriend." Flay has been learning from Pérez's youthful lifestyle, even in the kitchen. "She's teaching me to cook with a lot less meat," the celebrity chef told People in the December 2021 interview. "And now all of a sudden I'm a big hiker. I'm learning a little of the Zen California way."

Pérez, on her part, is grateful for Flay's sense of humor and all the enticing flavors he has brought into her life. "Happy birthday to the man who keeps me laughing and makes my life more delicious and sparkly than I could ever have imagined — love you x million," she captioned an Instagram post to celebrate his 57th birthday in December 2021, which also made the relationship Instagram-official. And Sophie was there to share her support. "I love this," she commented, adding four heart-eyed emoji. 

While 17 years is a pretty considerable age gap, Christina Pérez isn't the youngest girlfriend Bobby Flay has had. Heléne Yorke was born in February 1985 while Flay was born in December 1964, meaning she's a bit more than two decades younger than him — and only 11 years older than his daughter. Flay's third wife, Stephanie March, was also younger, though not as much. Born in July 1974, she's almost a decade his junior. And if the rumors (and accusations) are true, Flay's supposed fling January Jones is 13 years younger than him.

Not a lot is known about Flay's first two wives, but they were closer in age to him. His first wife, Debra Ponzek, was born in August 1961, so three years after Flay. His second wife is reportedly a few months older than him, suggesting his preference for younger women happened later in life (aren't we all surprised).

Flay's newfound preference may have actually ended his third marriage. While contesting the terms of their prenup agreement, March argued it was his long-standing affair with his 20-something assistant, Elyse Tirrell, that finally pushed her over the edge, Page Six reported in 2015. Amid his messy divorce, Flay also made headlines for reportedly hanging out with much younger women. "Bobby and his friend were entertaining at least six girls who looked to be in their mid-20s," a source told Page Six in July of that year.