Cause of celebrity chef Anne Burrell's death revealed
Warning: This article deals with self-harm and suicide.
The cause of death of American celebrity chef Anne Burrell has been revealed.
According to Good Morning America, it was found that Burrell, 55, died by suicide. She suffered "acute intoxication due to the combined effects of diphenhydramine, ethanol, cetirizine, and amphetamine."
Diphenhydramine and cetirizine are antihistamines, which are used to block the "substance in the body that causes allergic symptoms," according to the National Library of Medicine.
Ethanol, meanwhile, is a chemical compound found in alcohol, which can be fatal in excessive amounts, per the National Institutes of Health.
The NLM warned that amphetamine, which is commonly used to treat symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, must not be taken with alcohol.
Although these medications can be used separately for over-the-counter or prescription purposes, combining them isn't advised due to possible unpredictable interactions.
Burrell was a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. She began her career in the food industry by working in various restaurants in Italy for nine months.
Her career progressed steadily until she caught the attention of celebrity chef Mario Batali, who made her one of his sous chefs for a pilot taping of Food Network's Iron Chef America in 2005. She continued to serve as his sous chef during his tenure with the show.
In 2008, she got her own Food Network show, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, where she demonstrated how to cook restaurant-quality meals at home. She also joined The Best Thing I Ever Ate the following year.
Burrell's most notable work is co-hosting the reality television series Worst Cooks in America since 2010. In it, contestants with little to no cooking experience undergo a tough culinary boot camp where they are taught essential cooking skills, such as knife techniques, baking, seasoning, temperature control, and meal prep. Burrell has been a consistent mentor for 27 seasons during the show's run.
Aside from being a television chef, she has also written two cookbooks: Cook Like a Rock Star in 2011 and Own Your Kitchen: Recipes to Inspire and Empower in 2013.
Burrell died on June 17. He is survived by Stuart Claxton, her husband of three years, her stepson Javier, her mother Marlene, her sister Jane, her children Isabella, Amelia, and Nicolas, and her brother Ben.
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If you think you, your friend, or your family member is considering self-harm or suicide, you may call the National Mental Health Crisis Hotline at 1553 (Luzon-wide, landline toll-free), 0966-351-4518 or 0917-899-USAP (8727) for Globe/TM users, or 0908-639-2672 for Smart users.
