Ruti Brodo Reveals Painful Details of Marriage End and Infidelity

Restaurateur and businesswoman Ruti Brodo, a prominent figure in Israeli culinary circles and a judge on the reality show "Master Chef," has shared intimate details about a tumultuous period in her life. Appearing on the program "Who Wants to Start?" hosted by Assi Azar, Brodo discussed the end of her marriage to Mati Brodo, with whom she co-founded the R2M restaurant empire. She described feeling lost within the relationship and the revelations that followed their separation.

Brodo recounted meeting Mati when she was 18 and feeling a profound lack of self-worth, constantly questioning her identity outside of their relationship. She explained that the marital relationship had deteriorated long before its official end, but her attempts to address the issues were met with denial from her husband. He attributed their lack of intimacy to a "crisis" that was common in relationships.

The true breakdown occurred shortly after they decided to separate and rent separate apartments. Brodo discovered the extent of her husband's infidelity accidentally, through their shared housekeeper, who revealed that another woman was living with him. This discovery led to a confrontation where Brodo expressed shock that he was living with someone else just three weeks after their separation. Azar pointed out that Mati had known the other woman prior to their split.

Brodo was further stunned when Mati announced his intention to start a family with his new partner, an attorney. Brodo threatened to "burn down their businesses" if he had children, stating, "I didn't know he was cheating on me." The couple, who began their professional partnership in New York in the 1980s and founded R2M in Israel in 1994, were known for their distinct roles: Mati as the business developer and visionary, and Ruti as the operational and culinary leader. Despite their separation, they never officially divorced and continued to co-own their business empire. Mati Brodo went on to establish the high-tech company m-Wise, and after their separation, he focused on real estate and medical cannabis investments, had a child with his partner Nadia, and pursued his vision of starting a family. This development deeply affected Brodo, as they had previously expressed a strong aversion to having children and had dedicated their lives to their culinary ventures. The rapid shift in Mati's life, coupled with the suspicion that their relationship began while they were still married, shattered Brodo's fundamental beliefs and forced her to rebuild her life from the ground up.