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Gordon Ramsay's Life Story Is More Interesting Than Any Of His Shows

Gordon Ramsay's Life Story Is More Interesting Than Any Of His Shows

"I started with nothing, and was dealt a bit of a dysfunctional card, because I shouldn't have made it this far."

Mel Ramsay

Mel Ramsay

When you think of Gordon Ramsay, you probably picture his angry, lined face spewing hate (and spittle) into incompetent chefs' faces.

This is the image Gordon likes. At the end of the day, he's a strong, talented chef who has no time for your shit filet mignon. He's got Michelin stars and awards coming out of his arse.

But what do we know about the man behind the coq au vin? Where did he come from? He's clearly hardworking - did he have it easy? Well, no. Ramsay had a really fucking tough upbringing and he's not had it easy by any means.

Gordon started out in a council estate in the middle of Stratford-upon-Avon. Before that, he lived in 17 houses before he reached the age of 16.


Credit: PA Images

As he wrote for CNN: "Dad would often have a fallout with someone at work and get fired, and because our home often came with his job, we would become homeless and have to move again."

Gordon's father, who was also called Gordon, battled alcoholism. He was 'terribly violent' towards his wife, Gordon's mother. He recalled: "She feared for her life. Every time he got violent, any present that my brother, sisters, or I had given mum would be smashed, simply because he knew it belonged to her. There were instances when the police were called to take him away; Mum was taken to the hospital while we kids were taken to a children's home."

He and his siblings, Diane, Ronnie and Yvonne, would often sit cowering upstairs while their mother was subjected to physical abuse downstairs, according to Diane. She told the Daily Record: "You would hear Mum saying, 'No, Gordon', then you'd hear a slap. Or a scream.

"Afterwards, we'd creep downstairs and the place would be a wreck - things thrown up the walls. Mum's face swollen - her lip, her eye.

"Many times we feared he might kill her."


Credit: PA Images

Their father would control the family by moving them from home to home, his offspring have said. The children would often be woken in the middle of the night and put into their father's van. They would go from Glasgow to England and back again a lot. "One night, we slept in the train station in Birmingham," recalled Diane.

Gordon and Diane eventually moved out and got their own flat together. Sadly, she fell into an abusive relationship of her own, echoing her mother's turmoil. She said: "One time, my ex had a pillow over my head and Gordon managed to get him off me.

"Gordon said, 'Don't ever put up with that. You don't deserve it. Don't take that from any man in your life'."

Their mother eventually managed to get away after one particular incident where their father threw scalding hot milk over her while she was in bed, then punched her and dragged her downstairs. She was taken to hospital where Women's Aid stepped in. She stayed in one of their shelters for six months.

When they returned to her home, they found it ransacked with a postcard on the mantelpiece. It read: 'One night, when you're least expecting it, I'll come back and finish you all off.'

Their father died a few years later.

Gordon is well aware of his roots. He said: "I started with nothing, and was dealt a bit of a dysfunctional card, because I shouldn't have made it this far."

He married Montessori-trained schoolteacher, Cayetana Elizabeth Hutcheson, in 1996. They have four kids: Megan, Matilda, and twins Jack and Holly. Last year, they announced that they were expecting a new baby, a little boy. Tragically, Tana suffered a miscarriage at five months.

Gordon and Tana Ramsay
Gordon and Tana Ramsay

Credit: PA Images

He's not had an easy life, but he's made a massive success of himself. What a LAD.

Featured Image Credit: PA Images

Topics: miscarriage, Interesting, Gordon Ramsay, Prison