Ian Thorpe has a strong claim to being the greatest professional swimmer of all time. He won five Olympic gold medals over the course of his career, and also picked up five individual medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, more than any other individual athlete at the games. The next year, he won six gold medals in a single World Championship tournament. His incredible speed in the pool won the Australian the nickname 'Thorpedo.'
Thorpe had to deal with constant speculation about his sexuality both during and after his swimming career, which ended in 2006. Eight years later, during an interview with Michael Parkinson on British television, Thorpe finally confirmed that he was gay and said he wished he'd come out sooner, stating that it felt better to get it out in the open, and that he hoped he could now be an example to young people who felt like they had to stay quiet. He's been in a relationship with model Ryan Channing since 2016, and the couple plan on one day having children.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.