Gordon Ramsay is one of the most well-known faces in the food industry.
His approach to the kitchen, including his fiery turns of phrases, have made him famous the world over.
Yet, his foray into the world of culinary delights happened somewhat by accident.
Here we take a look at the life of one of the UK’s biggest, and boldest, exports.
Before he was wowing and then bellowing at people from the kitchen, Ramsay had other plans.
As a young Scot growing up in Stratford-upon-Avon in England, he had dreams of being a professional footballer.
Yet those dreams were cruelly ended by injury.
Instead, he returned to his studies and completed a course in hotel management.
Ramsay’s focus and determination at a new skill saw him train with some of the world’s leading chefs.
These include Albert Roux (pictured) and Marco Pierre White in London, and Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon in France.
In 2021, Ramsay paid tribute to Roux following his death. He was 85.
“He was hard, fair, passionate and incredibly understanding of what you could achieve if you listen,” he wrote in an Instagram post.
“He told me straight, and trust me I listened. Thank you Chef.”
By 1993, Ramsay had returned to London and was offered the head chef job at Aubergine by Marco Pierre White.
Three years later, under Ramsay’s leadership, Aubergine was awarded two Michelin stars.
Then, things turned sour between Ramsay and his once mentor, White.
It became so messy that in 1998, the Kitchen Nightmares star staged a brazen robbery of the restaurant’s coveted reservations book.
Ramsay pointed the finger at White, claiming it was part of a plot to oust him.
However, in a 2007 interview, Ramsay admitted he was behind the 1998 theft.
He arranged for an unidentified man to pull up outside Aubergine on a scooter, rush in and snatch the book before fleeing.
“It was my one stroke of genius, f–king someone over without his knowing that I was the one who done it,” he told The New Yorker.
“And the [restaurant owners] cutting Marco off and wanting to get closer to me, kissing my ass … You always eat that f–king revenge when it’s cold, don’t you? Trust me, this was stone cold.”
That same year, Ramsay opened his own restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road.
The opening of his new eatery is documented in the UK series, Boiling Point.
It’s Ramsay’s introduction to true reality TV. It won’t be his last.
Two years before opening his restaurant, Ramsay and his girlfriend, Tana Hutcheson, married.
Hutcheson was 18 when she first met the chef.
She was studying to become a Montessori teacher and working nights and weekends at the London restaurant, Le Pont de la Tour.
Ramsay was friends with the head chef.
The couple wed in December 26 and honeymooned in Hawaii.
They are proud parents to six children.
Their eldest child, Megan, was born in May 1998.
The Ramsays are proud parents to six children.
Their eldest daughter Megan was born in May 1998, before twins Holly and Jack were born in 1999.
In 2001 the couple’s daughter Matilda ‘Tilly’ was born.
The couple sadly lost their fifth child, Rocky, to miscarriage.
In 2019 they added to their family again with the birth of son, Oscar.
Last year, the Ramsay family expanded again wth the birth of son Jesse.
Ramsay’s success has seen him rub shoulders with celebrity, including a future King in Prince William.
In the 2000s, Ramsay’s London restaurant is awarded a third Michelin star.
Soon he opens a second restaurant, Petrus.
Brimming with success, Ramsay opens a number of other eateries including Amaryllis in Glasgow, Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s and at the Connaught Hotel.
He also opens restaurants outside the UK.
By 2004, the pull of TV sees him sign on for reality series Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen.
The shows inspired Ramsay’s most famous line and bruising insult: “What are you? An idiot sandwich.”
Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares ran for seven seasons between 2007 to 2014.
“I cancelled my show on Fox, Kitchen Nightmares. I woke up in the middle of the south of France after filming a week with a British guy I wouldn’t trust to run my bath, let alone my restaurant,” he said.
“Because he was running a ski resort, he felt he could take advantage of all those customers because there was nowhere to eat. He was giving me [expletive] for telling him the truth, and I thought, ‘I’m done’.”
Ramsay has thrown the football kit back on over the years, taking part in a number of Soccer Aid matches.
He was stretchered off in a 2012 game after a harsh challenge by British champ Teddy Sheringham.
He returned to the pitch a few years later.
Outside of charity matches, Ramsay is a no stranger to big events.
He caught up with music icon Rod Stewart in the Red Bull Racing garage during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas at Las Vegas Strip Circuit in November 2023 in Las Vegas.
He was also spotted at a New Jersey show of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
Outside the UK and US, Ramsay also has spent a lot of time in Australia.
He’s not only a favourite among foodies, but also local chefs.
Here he is with legendary Aussie chef, Matt Moran.
Ramsay joked after a trip to Australia that he likes pies in Melbourne.
It was an amusing play on words given he was wearing a Collingwood AFL jersey at the time.
For non-AFL fans, Collingwood are known as the Magpies, nicknamed ‘pies’.
Ramsay has also spent time for work on our shores.
Earlier this year he teamed up with food entrepreneur Janine Allis for Nine’s Food Stars.
Today, Ramsay has a net worth of an estimated $US220 million (approx. $327 million).
He amassed this fortune through his restaurants, best-selling books and his own production company.
Though as he revealed last month, he almost didn’t make it to see the whole of 2024.
The celebrity chef took to Instagram to share the details of a horrific accident he got into while out riding his bike, saying he is ‘lucky to be alive’.
He shared a video imploring his 17 million followers to always wear a helmet.
“This week I had a really bad accident while riding my bike in Connecticut. I’m doing ok and did not break any bones or suffer any major injuries but I am a bit bruised up looking like a purple potato,” he wrote, revealing a giant purple bruise on his left hip in the video.
“I’m thankful for all the doctors, nurses and staff at Lawerence + Memorial Hospital in New London who looked after me and checked me out, but most thankful for my helmet that saved my life.”
