4 days ago
27
The culinary world did a double-take this week when celebrity chef Rick Stein's son Jack announced he was expecting a baby with his new partner, Sophie Elizabeth Taylor.
Given that Jack had not publicly announced his split from wife-of-four-years Lucy Musca, his big news seemed sudden and unexpected, leading to much speculation about when his marriage ended and his new relationship with Sophie began.
In the days since Jack, 45, revealed his baby news, a deep dive by the Daily Mail reveals a clearer picture regarding the timeline of his new romance.
But before we get to that, here's a recap.
Jack, Rick's middle son and restaurateur and TV personality in his own right, shared a photo on Instagram last Sunday of himself and Sophie holding a baby scan.
'One more at the table. April 2027,' he captioned the image.
Rick Stein's TV star son Jack has announced his new girlfriend, Sophie Elizabeth Taylor, is pregnant after secretly splitting from Lucy Musca, his wife of four years
Jack has not publicly shared news of his split from artist wife Lucy, with whom he shares son Milo and daughter Arla. They tied the knot in Cornwall in July 2022
Lucy (pictured) has not publicly commented on news of her split from Jack, who is now expecting a child with a new partner
The news quickly made headlines given that no announcement had been made regarding his separation from Lucy, a food stylist and artist with whom he shares two children, son Milo and daughter Arla.
The couple had married in a lavish ceremony in Cornwall in July 2022.
Comment sections soon blew up with guesswork about what might have happened, with some noting Jack's father's colourful relationship history.
However, social media posts uncovered by the Mail suggest Jack's marriage has been over for a long time, and that he and Sophie have been a couple for at least a year and nine months before announcing they were expecting a baby.
They look to have been together since January 2025, when the pair shared a TikTok 'skit' about telling your partner you have asked ChatGPT to help your relationship.
Missed by the media at the time, the post appeared to offer the first subtle public confirmation that his marriage had come to an end and that he had moved on.
And in September 2025, Jack posted another TikTok of the two sunbaking on a beach in Portugal, joking about referring to Sophie as a 'friend' while also tagging himself as a 'boyfriend'.
'Apparently calling Sophie "my friend" is a crime #redflag #boyfriendfail #datingdebate #toxicornah #relationshiptok,' he wrote at the time.
Social media posts uncovered by the Mail suggest Jack's marriage has been over for a long time, and that he and Sophie have been a couple for at least a year and nine months before their baby news. (Jack and Sophie are seen in a TikTok from January 2025)
In September 2025, Jack posted another TikTok of the two sunbaking on a beach in Portugal, joking about referring to Sophie as a 'friend' while also tagging himself as a 'boyfriend'
Little is publicly known about Sophie, but their two families appear to have well-established connections on social media.
Jack regularly comments on posts by Sophie's mother, Dianne Taylor, while members of the Stein family are also connected with Sophie and her family online.
Since Jack announced the pregnancy, Lucy has yet to publicly comment on the news. Both her personal and professional social media accounts have been switched to private and she appears to have reverted to her maiden name online.
It is unclear if they are separated or divorced. Either way, the Daily Mail does not suggest any overlap between the two romantic relationships.
Jack previously spoke about cooking with Lucy in an interview with GQ in 2018, saying: 'My partner is Italian and I mess about with food all the time. This is the zombie apocalypse movie of food books…'
The news comes after Jack's father, Rick, previously spoke candidly about the end of his first marriage to Jill Stein, to whom he was married for 32 years.
The culinary icon divorced Jill in 2007 after an affair with Australian publicist Sarah 'Sas' Burns, who he met on a book tour and later married.
Rick has discussed the breakdown of his first marriage in interviews, attributing their split to the increasing distance between them, driven in part by the demands of their restaurant business.
Jack and Lucy (pictured far right) are pictured at a Stein family celebration years ago
Speaking to The Times Magazine, he said their work had come to dominate their lives.
'Our lives didn't exist outside it. The more successful we got, we had to keep the restaurant going all year and then we didn't go away on our holidays,' he said.
Rick said the couple eventually fell out of love.
He met Sarah in 1997 and began an affair that remained secret for years. Jill reportedly did not discover the relationship for five years. The couple separated in 2002 before their divorce was finalised in 2007.
Rick later said he would never be unfaithful again, describing Sarah as someone who 'lit up his life'. He also rejected the suggestion that the affair was related to their age difference, with Sarah 20 years his junior.
'I just felt meeting her that I'd known her all my life and that I'd come home,' he said.
Reflecting on his first marriage, Rick said he and Jill had not brought out the best in one another.
'I just feel I didn't bring out the best in Jill, you know? And she didn't bring out the best in me,' he said.
English (US) ·