Martha Stewart Makes Bold Claim About Once 'Unfriendly' Ina Garten

Martha Stewart is opening up about a rough patch she once hit in her friendship with Ina Garten.

The businesswoman and lifestyle expert recently talked to The New Yorker about her relationship with Garten, who she's known for over three decades now. But apparently their friendship hasn't always been easy as pie.

According to Stewart, 83, things got a little rocky between the two women around the time that the Martha star was dealing with legal troubles that ultimately landed her in prison. In 2004, Stewart spent five months behind bars after an insider trading scandal.

She was found guilty on charges including conspiracy and obstruction of justice, then sentenced to five months in prison and two years probation. Stewart's stint in prison ended when she was released in March 2005.

In addition to the havoc her legal woes wreaked on her professional life, the Martha Stewart Living creator said it also caused a rift between her and Garten, 76.

"When I was sent off to Alderson Prison, she stopped talking to me," Stewart said in the article published Friday, Sept. 6. "I found that extremely distressing and extremely unfriendly."

But Garten seems to have a different way of remembering it than Stewart does.

The Barefoot Contessa star "firmly" denied Stewart's claims, according to The New Yorker. Instead, she claimed that the two "lost touch" after Stewart began spending more time in upstate New York rather than at her Hamptons home nearby.

Regardless, Stewart's publicist confirmed to the publication that she is "not bitter at all" about the bump in their friendship journey, noting that there is "no feud" between them.

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