Gordon Ramsay: ‘I should never have done that’

Humble admissions are not a trademark of the profane, sweary Gordon Ramsay.

The celebrated British chef and restaurateur – whose Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London has held three Michelin stars since 2001 – is better known for his overconfidence.

But with his 50th birthday approaching this year, a thoughtful, philosophical Ramsay seems to be explaining himself – explaining his years of anger, his complicated origins and why he is “the real deal”.

Backstreets of Britain
“My childhood was very difficult,” Ramsay shared in an interview with Talk Asia in Singapore. “I started with nothing and faced a very unstable hand. My father was a heavy drinker and my mother worked as a chef and nurse at night.

“We moved house… I went to 17 different schools between the ages of five and 16.”

It was his upbringing in the British “ghetto” that fueled his drive for success.

A ‘blond with blue eyes’
Today, the married father of four admits his life is “very lavish”.

“With three Michelin stars, 35 restaurants, 1,500 staff and any car you want to drive, you never get the chance to go back to basics,” he says.

“So I had to get out.”

Filming “Gordon’s Great Escape” in Asia last year gave Ramsay the chance to escape the lavish world of Hollywood.

For me, it was a great opportunity to recharge… and live again… Living with a [local] family, living on $100 a week, experiencing the monsoon, celebrating the harvest.”

People who met Ramsay along the way, he says, mostly just thought he was a “blond, blue-eyed, 16-stone guy.”

With less success, the chef has become more mellow. What does he want people to take away from his story?

“You know, if I can come from a housing estate in Stratford-upon-Avon and live in 17 houses before I was 16, and then win three Michelin stars, if anyone wants to use me as an inspiration, you know this: