Ottavia Busia-Bourdain Opens Up About Why Her Marriage To Anthony Bourdain Ended

When Ottavia Busia-Bourdain and Anthony Bourdain decided to separate in 2016, they each took a different tack when they told fans and followers what happened. During an interview with People, Bourdain admitted at the time that his family could not be considered ordinary, and part of that had to do with what he did for a living. He said, "If I'm not traveling, I'm pretty much doing jack s*** on a Friday night. I'm going to bed when my nine-year-old decides to go to bed. If I'm home, I'm not going to the hot new restaurant, I'm not walking a red carpet, I'm cooking something that my daughter decides she wants, or staying very close to home." However, being close to home was apparently a rarity for Bourdain, who said he spent 250 days of the year traveling, partly for the series "Parts Unknown."

Ottavia's statement was more formal than her husband's as she said: "Because of professional decisions we both have made, my husband and I have been for years in an unconventional relationship. Nothing has changed. We love each other. We respect the decisions the other has made. And we'll always consider ourselves a family."

Ottavia Busia-Bourdain talked about her marriage and its demise in the movie "Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain." In it, she explained that "It always seemed like what he wanted was this idyllic picture of family and ordinary life but then when he got it, I don't know if he was ... I don't know. After a while maybe that wasn't enough anymore" (via People).

Bourdain himself had confessed that he lead what he called a strange life. "I try to make up for it when I go home by cooking aggressively, and I try and kill people around me with food," he said. But it was only a matter of time before the urge to hit the road became irresistible because, as his creative collaborator Chris Collins pointed out, the pull to be outside for Bourdain was "equally as great."

While Bourdain was linked to actress Asia Argento toward the end of his life, the talented television host never finalized his divorce. So when he died in France, it was left to Ottavia Busia-Bourdain to decide how best to settle his affairs. In the film she makes this heartbreaking admission: "I feel like that is something that I will always ... I should have kept an eye on him more."