Brooke Williamson Admits It Was ‘Confusing’ When Bobby Flay Gave Her a Diamond Ring Without Proposing

Brooke Williamson and Bobby Flay recently sparked speculation they were taking the next step after she started sporting a massive diamond ring — even though they aren’t engaged.

In October, a source told People that a photo posted to his Instagram Story at the time of her hand wearing a massive diamond ring did not mean they were engaged. Fans were left wondering why anyone would ever give their significant other a huge diamond ring if it didn’t mean they were getting hitched.

“I gave you a ring as a sign of commitment,” the Beat Bobby Flay star, 61, explained to his Top Chef alum girlfriend, 47, during the Monday, January 19, episode of his podcast, Bobby on the Beat. “We’re a permanent couple, let’s put it that way.”

If you’re thinking that a diamond ring signifying commitment without an engagement is tough to wrap your head around, you’re not alone: On Williamson’s side of things, she was just as puzzled at the time.

“This was a little bit confusing in the moment,” she admitted on the podcast. “I mean, imagine opening like a little blue box with a giant diamond ring inside, on a park bench on a beautiful day in London in the Japanese garden.”

Flay recalled her asking if the ring was real in the moment, but Williamson corrected him: “No, actually what I exactly said was, ‘What the f**k is this?'”

The ring wasn’t purchased on a whim, either. Flay explained that he enlisted the help of his cousin, who owns a diamond business, to design the accessory. He explained the entire process took “weeks and weeks and weeks.” But, again, it was all for a gift — not an engagement.

Flay and Williamson, who met on Bobby’s Triple Threat, were confirmed to be dating in March 2025.