Chef Michael Chiarello's Girlfriend Says He Took Weight Loss Injections Before Fatal Allergic Reacti

Food Network celebrity chef Michael Chiarello had allegedly been taking weight loss injections prior to his fatal allergic reaction and sudden death.

According to the Napa County Sheriff-Coroner's report obtained by ET, the deputy putting together the report spoke to Chiarello's wife, Eileen, who said the late chef "told her he was on a new weight loss drug called Ozempic or something similar." She added that "it was her understanding the drug was a diabetic medication that had recently found use as a weight loss medication. She knew Ozempic was given by injection, but did not know how it was administered to" Chiarello. 

Eileen, who was still legally married to the chef but had been "legally separated for several years," also told the deputy that she was "concerned because she has a friend whose husband developed a rash and swelling and the symptoms persisted for over thirty days. She did not know if the weight loss medication had anything to do with [Chiarello's] death, but she wanted to make sure the Sheriff-Coroner's Office knew about it."

The coroner's report states that Chiarello's partner, Kellie, told authorities that he wasn't taking Ozempic, but rather a similar medication called Tirzepatide. Kellie said he "took injections of the medication once a week, but she was not sure when the last time [he] took an injection. As far as she knew, he hadn't taken the medication in the last two weeks" but he "had been taking Tirzepatide for approximately three months."

Kellie also told the deputy that on Oct. 5, the day he was admitted to the hospital, the chef was restless and couldn't sleep. He then got in the shower "and had hives all over his body" and "complained about his hands being itchy, and she could see his face was swelling up." 

Kellie stated she gave him two Benadryl tablets, which he swallowed, but he couldn't swallow a third tablet. She said she got him in her car and drove him to the hospital, but on the way there he stopped breathing. She said she pulled over, called 911 and performed CPR. Paramedics arrived and transported the chef to the hospital, where he died the next day. 

As ET previously reported, the celebrity chef had an allergic reaction that caused anaphylactic shock, which then led to a fatal heart attack.

According to the coroner's report, Eileen called the deputy preparing the report earlier this month and said she found Chiarello had "multiple charges, between July and September of 2023, to a financial account (in his name) from 'buildmybod.com.' The charges were for approximately $600 and appeared to be for a prescription medication called 'Mounjaro.' [She] also located Mounjaro in [Chiarello's] belongings."

Eileen also told the deputy that "an additional charge in September of 2023 from 'plushcare.com.' Through her own research, she found this site sells a prescription medication called 'Wegovy.' [Her] understanding was both of these medications can be prescribed for weight loss." She also told the deputy that "through her own research, [she] found that the prescriptions should not be taken together."

According to the coroner's report, the manner of death is listed as "undetermined." 

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