Blake Lively has opened up about her "happy place" amid her turbulent 2025

Blake Lively attends the 2024 premiere of 'It Ends With Us'
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Blake Lively has endured a difficult year, with the 37-year-old actress locked in a legal battle with her former It Ends With Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni.

Lively took legal action against Baldoni in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment and for allegedly coordinating a smear campaign against her.

The actress released a statement to The Times after the news of her lawsuit went public, explaining that she hopes her "legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct." And that she hopes her actions will help "protect others who may be targeted.”

Baldoni, who has denied the claims as "categorically false", later filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Lively's publicist, Leslie Sloane - suing for defamation.

A trial has been set for March 2026, with both parties appearing to keep a low profile amid the ongoing legal drama.

And it was even reported earlier this month that Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds would be skipping the 2025 Met Gala, following their absences from this year's award season.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds attend the premiere of 'It Ends With Us'

(Image credit: Getty Images)

As Lively takes a step back from the spotlight, she has seemingly been spending her time with her family. And judging by her limited social media activity, a lot of that has centred around baking, something that is said to be close to the actress' heart.

In fact, just this week, Lively herself opened up about it, posting a photograph of her baking with friends to her Instagram Stories.

"Baking with genius food friends and their kitchen mixer the size of a car," Lively captioned the snap. "This is what my happy place looks like".

Lively has spoken about her love of baking and cooking in general in the past, with her kitchen at home reportedly named "The Blakery".

"Food is probably the most central part of my life," Lively explained last year in an interview with Vogue. "Food and family, but those are completely intertwined because food was so important to me growing up [since] my mom is an amazing cook."

Well, this is lovely.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.