Gordon Ramsay Claims He Cried When He Lost Two Michelin Stars

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay appeared on the Swedish/Norwegian talk show Skavlan, and during his appearance, host Fredrik Skavlan asked him how it felt to lose his Michelin stars. Ramsay lost a few stars last fall in a major downgrade that saw his New York restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London go from two stars to zero. (Ramsay sold the restaurant to the London Hotel in 2009, but his name is still on it.) And according to Michelin, it’s the only restaurant in the guide’s history to lose two stars at the same time for quality issues. Turns out losing those stars is like “losing your girlfriend” and “losing the Champions League.” Ouch.

I started crying when I lost my stars. It’s a very emotional thing for any chef. It’s like losing your girlfriend. You want her back. I think every top chef in the world, from Alain Ducasse to Guy Savoy, when you lose a star, it’s like losing the Champions League. And then next year. So it’s not like you can’t get those things back forever. I was asked this question exactly two weeks before I went on holiday. What would you do if you lost your third star? Honestly? I would get it back. It’s great to focus.
Skavlan asks what Ramsay would do to someone if he found out they were responsible for losing a star: “I’d take you to the most amazing fjord in Norway and I’d drown you.” They also talk about picky eaters (like Ramsay’s mother) and how his kids threaten to become vegetarians to get what they want.