The Food Network star and her ex-fiancé Michael Castellon broke off their engagement in February 2022
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Sabrina Weiss is the Editorial Assistant of PEOPLE's food department. She writes the weekly recipes for the print magazine as well as articles for PEOPLE Digital. Sabrina has been with PEOPLE since 2021.
Published on March 3, 2023 01:23PM EST
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(879x132:881x134)/food-network-celebration-022823-3-424a2a4beea14e1990bf248ce9545f58.jpg "Alex Guarnaschelli Says It's 'Scary' but 'Exciting' to Start Over After Ending Her Engagement (1)")
Alex Guarnaschelli is looking on the bright side of heartache.
On Friday morning, the Alex vs America star, 53, opened up to her social media followers about her healing process one year after breaking up with her ex-fiancé, Michael Castellon.
The celebrity chef regularly asks her followers on Instagram if they have any questions for her. While the majority of inquiries focus on cooking or her shows on Food Network, some veer into more personal questions.
One anonymous question read, "30 y/o female recently divorced. Feeling scared to start over. Any advice?"
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(449x0:451x2)/alex-guarnaschelli-breakup-030323-2-143b96a242334ad1970e683d21bbb98b.jpg "Alex Guarnaschelli Says It's 'Scary' but 'Exciting' to Start Over After Ending Her Engagement (2)")
"I can only speak for my own experience, and I am not an expert," answered Guarnaschelli, who was also previously married to ex-husband Brandon Clark. "I started over more than once, and it is scary. There's nothing that can take fear away."
Guarnaschelli continued, urging her follower to attempt a positive outlook: "Try to look at it also as a lucky chance for you to find deeper and more rewarding happiness for yourself. I believe you really will. And that is really exciting."
PEOPLE confirmed that the Food Network star and Castellon ended their engagement in February 2022, nearly two years after the pair got engaged in June 2020. Guarnaschelli and Castellon first met while she was visiting the restaurant where he worked as a chef, she previously told PEOPLE.
She previously opened up about her breakup in a similar Q&A on Instagram. When a follower praised the her for being a "great example to all women" for "doing what's best for you, even if it hurts," Guarnaschelli pointed to her daughter Ava. "I have a 14-year-old woman (Ava) watching me every day. It's the only way," she said.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(689x29:691x31)/alex-guarnaschelli-breakup-030323-7aecda23158040e6b7e76f1acffdb32b.jpg "Alex Guarnaschelli Says It's 'Scary' but 'Exciting' to Start Over After Ending Her Engagement (3)")
Guarnaschelli was recently honored with a tribute dinner at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival on Feb. 25.
During Guarnaschelli's dinner at the Loews Miami Beach, her Food Network friends cooked the multi-course meal (and surprised attendees with a flash mob!). Guarnaschelli's teenage daughter, now 15, also eloquently spoke about her famous mom's illustrious career in the food industry.
"We gather here tonight to celebrate who people see as Alex, who I really just see as mom. I've always been proud of my mom because deep down I know that my mom is such a dedicated person to everything she does, whether it's shucking a hundred oysters or writing an essay on the French Revolution," said Ava.
