Secret Affair

Her Multimillion-dollar Cooking Empire Began in Upstate New York When She Joined Forces (and Began a Romance) With a Tv News man Who Was Twice Her Age — and Married.
 

- 

RACHAEL Ray takes a back seat to no one when it comes to being gabby, and that bubbly personality has helped make her one of the most popular (and wealthiest) reality-TV foodies of all time. Her books, television series, dog food, signature kitchenware and other ventures have filled her pantry piggy bank to the tune of $75 million.

But there’s one subject Rachael has been noticeably quiet about through the years: her romance in the late ’90s with Dan DiNicola, an award-winning — and married — TV news reporter who helped Rachael launch her television career. “As instrumental as he was in her success, Rachael has barely ever mentioned Dan, who was twice her age, in any interviews since she became a star,” says a source. “And the couple of times she has, she’s never let on that they were lovers.”

INSTANT ATTRACTION