Ina Garten candidly talks about the childhood abuse by her father as she reveals she thought he would kill her

Ina Garten bravely and candidly talked about the childhood abuse she received at the hands of her father.

The 76-year-old celebrity chef - who came under fire this year over her advice to 'undercook your chicken' - opened up about the physical and emotional abuse from her late parents Charles and Florence Rosenberg.

She told People magazine on Wednesday that she was afraid of her father and even believed that he would kill her as he would hit her and pull her hair if she did something he disapproved of. 

Ina - who is releasing memoir Be Ready When The Luck Happens - said: 'I was terrified. I was physically afraid of my dad. I literally remember thinking he would kill me if I did something. 

'I was physically afraid of him. And my mother just was unsupportive.'

Ina grew up in Stamford, Connecticut with her older brother Ken, who also was a victim of her dad's abuse, as she says that she spent most of her time locked in her bedroom.

Ina said: 'If there's a threat of violence, you're always afraid, even when it's not happening. So I basically spent my entire childhood in my bedroom with a door closed.

'I think it was just protection. It was just to keep myself safe.'

In her soon-to-be released memoir, she revealed that she did not just suffer abuse from her father but also her mother.

She told People that despite calling her bedroom a 'safe haven', she was not able to make the color what she wanted - which was purple - and was made to have it peach as her mom Florence told her it would 'turn out badly'.

Ina added: 'It was something she said to me a lot. I wouldn't be surprised if she was diagnosed with Asperger's [Syndrome].

'She really didn't know how to have a relationship, which is why I think, as I've gotten older, having relationships is so important to me.'

The Barefoot Contessa star gushed as she revealed that her personal hell had ended when she met her aforementioned husband when she was 16-years-old as she explained:  'Everything changed when I met Jeffrey.'

They dated for four years until marrying in 1968 despite her mother's reservations.

Ina explained: '[My mother] thought I was too young to get married.

'But it was the first time in my life when I just said to her, "I know you don't think this is a good idea. And for the first time, I'm really sorry to tell you this, but I don't care. I'm doing this."'

She revealed that she was able to make peace with her father before he passed away but was never able to reconcile with her mother.

The television star told People: 'He, in his own way, apologized and my mom never acknowledged it. I think I overcame my childhood just by sheer determination

 'I just wasn't about to spend my life like that. And I think, a lot of times, people make a decision to live their lives differently and they end up sliding back into what they feel is familiar and I was determined not to do that. And then I met Jeffrey and he just showed me a totally different way to live.'

Back in June, Ina opened up about her complex feelings toward her father as she shared a snap from her wedding day to Jeffrey Garten in 1968 as he walked her down the aisle.

At the time she wrote: 'My dad and I had a complicated relationship when I was young, but once I got married we were able to change that. I’m really grateful for the positive happy times that we spent together, and thinking back he had a huge influence on my life. 

'I think that we’re very much alike. He loved parties, loved his work, treasured his friends, and cared about style. Happy Father’s Day, it’s a good day to celebrate fathers’ present and past.'

She previously revealed that her dietician mother restricted her eating as a child, and didn't let her cook - despite her falling in love with the activity from a young age.

The Barefoot Contessa taught herself to be a professional cook by studying Julia Child's cookbook - has spoken out about her strained relationship with her mother on numerous occasions.

In 2017, she told Katie Couric on her Next Question podcast that becoming a cook felt like the 'ultimate rebellion' against her 'obsessive' mother, who spent years controlling her diet.

'My mother was obsessive about food,' she shared at the time. 'So we weren't allowed any carbs, we weren't allowed any butter. We had margarine. And her idea of a great dessert was an apple.'

She reflected on her childhood again in 2021 in an appearance on Al Roker's podcast, Cooking Up A Storm, explaining that she turned to cooking because she 'craved connection' as a kid.

She also revealed how her mom never allowed her in the kitchen, despite her passion for cooking being obvious from a young age.

In 2023, the chef sat down with Katty Kay for an interview with the BBC, she said concerns about balancing motherhood with her career wasn't what led her to the decision and writing her memoir helped her clarify her feelings.

'I'm actually writing a memoir now and I'm kind of looking back at my childhood - it was nothing I wanted to recreate,' she shared.

'Looking back, I realize a lot of my decisions were based on my childhood. That was really the motivating factor. And Jeffrey and I were just so happy together.'

'I don't know, I think my mother just wanted me in my room and she wanted the kitchen to herself,' she explained.

'She said, "It's your job to study, it's my job to cook. Get out of the kitchen." So I kind of always wanted to do it.

'I think what I was craving as a child was connecting with people and I felt that if you feed them, they always show up and you have a good time together. That was the connection I loved so, I kept doing it over and over again.'

To Ina, her marriage to Jeffery in 1968 was when her 'life began,' telling Eater in 2015 she has nothing in her home from her childhood.

When asked more about it, she said, '[My mom] wasn't the warmest, funniest person around.'

Ina began her career off by working as the White House budget analyst, while slowly refining her cooking skills.

She left her government job in 1978 and purchased a food store in New York called Barefoot Contessa.

The acclaimed chef spent more than two decades growing her business, and released her first cookbook in 1999.

The book was hugely successful and launched career as a cook.

Ina began making frequent appearances on Martha Stewart's show before landing her own Food Network program, called Barefoot Contessa, in 2002.

Since then, Ina has released a whopping 13 cookbooks in total and has embarked on a slew of other business endeavors. Her show went on for 29 seasons before coming to an end in 2021.

Ina's memoir Be Ready When The Luck Happens will be released on October 1st.