Lorraine Pascale's reinvention: from top TV chef to psychology doctorate

Lorraine Pascale, once hailed as the top TV chef and the face of a new era of domestic cooking, has stepped away from celebrity and cooking to pursue psychology and psychotherapy. The former catwalk model known for Baking Made Easy and Lorraine Pascale how to be a better cook has begun doctoral study at the Metanoia Institute in West London and says burnout and a midlife turn in romance led her to rethink life in the public eye. She plans to apply what she learns about attachment and leadership to help others.

The turning point, Pascale says, came after a chance encounter at a gym with Dennis O'Brien, a divorced father of two who built a business consultancy empire with a turnover around 100 million pounds. The couple reportedly met in 2018 when he complimented her parking skills; a simple moment she says set off a chain of changes in her personal and professional life. O'Brien would later become her husband; he has since built a broader advisory and investment practice after stepping down as chief executive of Lucid Group, a healthcare and communications company that grew to hundreds of staff across the UK, Europe and the United States.

Pascale's path began in difficult upbringing: Born to Jamaican parents at a home for unmarried mothers in Hackney, East London, she was taken into care at birth and adopted at 18 months by white parents, Roger and Audrey Woodward, who raised her in Oxfordshire. A tall figure at 5 ft 10 in, she initially planned to join the police; a sighting by Naomi Campbell's agent at 16 launched a modelling career that saw her work with Versace, Chanel and Donna Karan, and later move to New York where she became the first Black British woman on the cover of American Elle and appeared in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue.

Her personal life unfolded with the first marriage to Polish musician Count Kaz Balinski-Jundzill in 1995; their daughter Ella Balinska was born the following year. The couple separated in 2009. As modelling work began to dry up, Pascale pursued courses and even worked as a trainee mechanic for a Skoda garage in Kent before discovering cookery in 2005 by taking a diploma at Leiths School of Food and Wine that she says fitted her like a pair of old jeans. She soon established herself as a cake specialist, earned a contract with Selfridges, and by the time she earned a first class degree in Culinary Arts at Thames Valley University her journey from catwalk to cupcakes was well underway with television projects and books following.

The book and screen success cemented her status as a leading culinary star in Britain and abroad, with shows broadcast in about 70 countries and millions of books sold. Yet Pascale has described burnout as she balanced intense public attention with personal life challenges. In interviews she said she wanted to do more than present recipes and to be herself and channel her life experiences into helping others. The pivot included a move toward deeper study of psychology and therapy, culminating in plans to pursue a doctorate at the Metanoia Institute. She has cited her own foster care background and charities as motivators for exploring how early attachments influence relationships and leadership.

Her public statements in recent years reflect the shift. In a TV interview she explained she wanted to put what she learned through therapy and training to help other people, and noted that cooking had been a vehicle for self expression that ultimately felt limiting. She described wanting to stop being defined by recipes and to become a person who could guide others through personal growth. Her LinkedIn profile states she is researching how early attachments shape relationships and that the aim is to help people strengthen their psychological self awareness to become more effective leaders. She is studying for a doctorate in Psychology and Psychotherapy at the Metanoia Institute, while maintaining ties to foster care advocacy and charity work.

The personal narrative includes two wedding ceremonies tied to the pandemic. Pascale and O'Brien planned to marry in 2020 but Covid restrictions required changes, leading to a June 2021 ceremony at Chelsea Old Town Hall and a reception at the Beaverbrook estate in Surrey. A second ceremony followed later in 2021 atop the Gherkin in London, providing a private moment for the couple as restrictions allowed. Ella Pascale gave Pascale away during the Covid era ceremony, an emotional moment underscored by the couple’s resilience. Public posts and features in Vogue offered rare glimpses into the couple’s private life and the couple’s focus on wellbeing and family.

Ella Balinska, Pascale's daughter from the first marriage, has publicly spoken about her mother's influence on her career. She praised her mother's go getter attitude and resilience, and suggested that the two share a bond built on hard work and reinvention. Ella noted that while her mother is a familiar face on screen, her drive lies in exploring new paths and leveraging experiences to help others. The broader audience has followed Pascale's transformation with interest, recognizing the ways in which her life mirrors larger conversations about midlife reinvention and the pursuit of education as a path to impact.

As Pascale nears the completion of her doctorate, observers say her story highlights a broader trend toward career reinvention later in life. The move from celebrity chef to psychologist and educator underscores how personal adversity can translate into public service and leadership development. Pascale remains defined by more than the recipes she shared on television; she is now pursuing further education, supporting charities, and modeling a path for others who seek meaningful second acts.