Anthony Bourdain's girlfriend Asia Argento shares moving tribute to celebrity chef

In the wake of Anthony Bourdain’s death, his girlfriend Asia Argento has shared an emotional tribute to the late chef after he reportedly took his own life at the age of 61 in France.

The Italian actress and director, 42, asked for privacy while she grieves the loss of Bourdain, whom she referred to as “my love, my rock, my protector.”

In the heartbreaking statement, which Argento shared on Twitter, she wrote: “Anthony gave all of himself in everything that he did. His brilliant, fearless spirit touched and inspired so many, and his generosity knew no bounds. He was my love, my rock, my protector.

“I am beyond devastated. My thoughts are with this family. I would ask that you respect their privacy and mine,” she continued.

The pair started dating in 2016, after meeting while Bourdain was filming episodes of his CNN series Parts Unknown in Rome.

Since then, the celebrity chef had been a fierce supporter of his girlfriend, who is one of dozens of women to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault and harassment, who denies all allegations.

After going public with her story in October, Bourdain, who was also outspoken in his support of the #MeToo movement, had publicly commended his girlfriend’s strength numerous times.

Immediately after sharing her own allegations against Weinstein, Bourdain wrote on Twitter: “I am proud and honoured to know you. You just did the hardest thing in the world.”

Following Argento’s speech at the Cannes Film Festival on the same subject, Bourdain told IndieWire: “It was absolutely fearless to walk right into the lion’s den and say what she said, the way she said it.

“It was an incredibly powerful moment, I thought. I am honoured to know someone who has the strength and fearlessness to do something like that.”

The allegations against Weinstein and the impact of the #MeToo movement also prompted Bourdain to reflect on his own actions and whether they may have unintentionally contributed to a male-centered culture in the restaurant world.

Referring to his best-selling memoir “Kitchen Confidential,” Bourdain questioned the role the book may have had in supporting a male-oriented environment during an interview with Slate.

“I’ve had to ask myself, and I have been for some time, ‘To what extent in that book did I provide validation to meatheads?

“You know, to the extent that I was that guy, however fast and however hard I tried to get away from it, the fact is that’s what my persona was,” Bourdain said, referring to his “bad boy” image. “I am a guy on TV who sexualises food. Who uses bad language. Who thinks our discomfort, our squeamishness, fear and discomfort around matters sexual is funny. I have done stupid offensive s**t.”

The feminist chef also shared his feelings on the #MeToo movement in an essay posted on Medium, where he said that he was “grateful” for the courage of women and that he stands "unhesitatingly and unwaveringly with the women."

“I am grateful to them for their courage, and inspired by them. That doesn’t make me any more enlightened than any other man who has begun listening and paying attention. It does make me, I hope, slightly less stupid,” he wrote.

Apart from lending his support and voice to Argento as she fought for equality, Bourdain frequently expressed his love for the actress simply because he felt “lucky” to have her in his life.

“I ain’t ‘woke.’ I was lucky enough to meet one, truly extraordinary woman,” Bourdain tweeted in December.