Mom of 2 ghosted by celebrity chef husband turns to internet for help, is found within hours: report

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After a Massachusetts mother asked for help on Facebook finding her aloof celebrity chef British husband, who allegedly ghosted her while she was pregnant, the internet rallied — finding the man who “disappeared without a trace” within hours.

A thread on X, posted by @OKAYYYWOWWW, describes Ashley McGuire and her husband — a British chef named Charles Withers — sordid tale.

McGuire wrote in a since deleted Facebook post that Withers “disappeared without a trace” while she was pregnant with the then-couple’s second child. 

‘Center of attention’

“This is my husband, Charles Withers. He loves to be the center of attention, but I’m not sure how much he’s going to like this,” McGuire wrote to the popular Facebook group “Are We Dating the Same Guy” on Saturday. “Last year, when I was pregnant with our youngest baby, he decided being a husband and a dad wasn’t the lifestyle he wanted anymore, and he ghosted, like gone without a trace.”

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Ashley McGuire wrote in a Facebook group that her husband, Charles Withers, disappeared “without a trace” last year. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

The mom of two said that Withers had never met his second daughter, had moved out of state, and changed his name and phone number.

“He has one baby he hasn’t seen in over a year, and one he’s never met. He’s moved somewhere out of state and changed his phone number,” McGuire wrote. “Divorcing someone who’s completely unreachable is really tough and drawn out, so I’m trying to track him down to get his signature on a few papers, so I can finally close this chapter and move on with my life.”

A woman turned to Facebook to track down her aloof chef husband. (iStock)

McGuire said that her husband was “British and charming AF.”

“He’s British and charming AF,” she wrote. “He’s a chef and probably working in the hospitality industry somewhere. He’s probably never mentioned having a wife or kids back in Massachusetts.”

Competition cook

Withers, who was born in London, previously appeared on the Food Network’s competition cooking TV show “Chopped” in 2022.

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McGuire concluded her plea by asking for the Facebook group to collect intel on her missing spouse.

“If you know him, if you’re working with him, if you’re dating him or friends with him, can you please have him get in touch with me or let me know where I can find him?” she asked. 

Facebook sleuths helped Ashley McGuire locate her estranged husband. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

Fewer than 24 hours later, McGuire wrote that she received “hundreds of messages” with information about Wither’s whereabouts.

“Guys… This is absolutely insane. I figured maybe someone in my area was still in touch with him but l absolutely did not expect this,” McGuire wrote in an updated post to Facebook, according to @OKAYYYWOWWW. “I’ve gotten more than enough information to locate him. I have literally hundreds of messages to sort through, some with information and some with support, and I appreciate all of them.”

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Tracked down

McGuire praised single moms, calling them a “special breed,” and asked for people to be kind to Withers. 

“Single moms are a special breed, and I know a lot of you have gone through the same situation I have,” McGuire said. “Please know I truly do not wish him any type of ill will. I sincerely appreciate all of your support, but please do not make threats, spread hate, or try to go out and locate him.”

“Truly, I only want to see this situation resolved so me and my children can restart our lives and fix the damage done,” she said.

McGuire said that she “wins” from the abandonment from her husband. 

McGuire said her estranged chef husband was “British and charming AF.” (iStock)

“At the end of the day, I get to come home to my babies and be their mom, so I think I win regardless,” she said.

On Monday, McGuire had her first public interview on a Boston radio show, “JAM’N Morning Show.”

Received phone call

She said that her estranged husband had reached out through an old phone number that she assumed was inactive.

She said that she took down the viral Facebook post because Withers got in touch.

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“I did not intentionally make him the most hated man out there by any means,” she said. “I hope he’s good. For somebody to turn their life this upside down, there’s obviously some internal struggles there, there’s a lot going on. But at the same time, to just walk away from all responsibility, just walk away like it never happened is just, you can’t do that.”

McGuire did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. 

She is a native of Massachusetts and is based in Orlando, Florida.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X: @s_rumpfwhitten.