Gordon Ramsay's Biography

Gordon Ramsay studied at Stratford-upon-Avon High School and gained an HND in Hotel Management from North Oxon Technical College in 1987.

Before his HND, Gordon Ramsay had a spell as a professional footballer at Glasgow Rangers from 1982 to 1985.

In his autobiography, Humble Pie, Gordon Ramsay revealed that he paid for heroin for his brother, Ronnie Ramsay, to get him to attend their father's funeral.

Before becoming chef/proprietor of Aubergine, in 1994, Gordon Ramsay worked with Marco Pierre White at Harvey's from 1989 to 1991 and with Albert Roux at La Gavroche as well as in the Paris kitchens of Guy Savoy and Joel Robuchon. He also had a short spell as the personal chef of an Australian TV chief.

Aubergine proved successful and was awarded Michelin stars in 1995 and 1997. However, in 1998 Ramsay fell out with Aubergine's backers and left to establish Gordon Ramsay Restaurant, which was named the second-best restaurant in the world in a poll run by Restaurant magazine.

In 2006, Gordon Ramsay was voted London's best cook for the 11th year running by a survey of 8000 diners by Harden's London Restaurants guide. Gordon Ramsay [the restaurant] was voted the "top gastronomic experience".

In 2007, Gordon Ramsay's results in Harden's London Restaurants guide were mixed, but only by his own high standards.

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, his Chelsea restaurant, was still voted 'Top Gastronomic Experience', however he lost the highest food rating and the highest overall restaurant rating.

However, it was not all bad, as the top spot for 'Overall Best Restaurant' went to Pétrus, which is part of the Gordon Ramsay group. Judged on food, service and ambience, many pundits credited Ramsay's protege, chef Marcus Wareing, for the success.

Petrus was the restaurant in which six City brokers famously splashed out on a good lunch, notching up a bill of £44,000.

Apparently Ramsay decided to throw the food in for free when the customers ordered their first bottle of Chateau Petrus at the interesting sum of £12,300.

The public have had an insight into Ramsay's style and fiery temperament through television series like Boiling Point, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitchen.

Critic, A. A. Gill, who along with his guest Joan Collins was once ejected from a Ramsay restaurant, has described Ramsay as "a wonderful chef, just a really second-rate human being".

Judging from his television persona, Gordon Ramsay is far from deserving of his father's adjective for him when he decided to be a chef: "poncey".

Gordon Ramsay's wife, Cayetana (Tana) Elizabeth Hutcheson, said that she couldn't stand Ramsay when she first met him. Tana was going out with Gordon's best friend. Both Gordon and Tana were engaged when they met, but both relationships were on the wane.

Gordon and Tana married in 1996.

Gordon Ramsay does not like the tag, celebrity chef - saying:

"I am not a celebrity chef! People think the only reason I'm famous is because I kicked Joan Collins out of my restaurant...people don't come here because they've seen me that morning in Can't Cook Won't Cook."

In Spring 2005, Gordon Ramsay released a new cookbook, 'Make It Easy' and commenced a new television series, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.

It was swiftly followed up by yet another Channel 4 weekly cookery programme, The F Word.

Gordon Ramsay ran the 2006 London Marathon in 3:46:10.

Also in 2006, it was revealed that Gordon Ramsay has a half-sister as it emerged that Sharon Donnachie's late mother Margaret had an affair with Gordon Ramsay's father before he married.

In October 2007 Gordon Ramsay became one of the two most Michelin-starred chefs in the world after his New York restaurant, called Gordon Ramsay at the London, was awarded two stars in its first year. It meant Gordon Ramsay and Alain Ducasse both have 12 stars.

In 2009, Gordon Ramsay was at the centre of a controversy in Australia after he made insulting remarks about TV presenter Tracy Grimshaw. Even Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd stepped in to criticise Gordon Ramsay.

In October 2009, Gordon Ramsay told The Radio Times that he had undergone a cosmetic procedure on his chin.

In January 2011, it was revealed that Gordon Ramsay got attacked whilst he was in Costa Rica to uncover the illicit trade in shark fins for Channel 4's Big Fish Fight series.

In 2012, he presented the Channel 4 series Gordon Behind Bars.

Other popular shows that he is known for in the USA are Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Masterchef and Hell's Kitchen.

In June 2016, it was revealed that Gordon's wife Tana had suffered a miscarriage five months into her pregnancy.

It would have been their fifth child.

In January 2017, ITV announced that it had commissioned Gordon Ramsay's production company Studio Ramsay to produce a new daytime cookery series, Culinary Genius, with Gordon Ramsay appearing in the first week. ITV also revealed that Gordon Ramsay would present a documentary series, produced by Studio Ramsay. Additionally, he would be a guest host for one week of The Nightly Show, ITV’s new entertainment series.

In April 2019, Gordon and Tana Ramsay had a fifth child, a boy called Oscar.

In 2020, it was revealed that BBC One would be broadcasting a new competition series Gordon Ramsay's Future Food Stars.

In September 2020, it was revealed that he would present Bank Balance on BBC One.

Being a game show host was a new role for him. Gordon Ramsay's Bank Balance was broadcast on BBC One, over 10 days in February 2021.

In 2022, he hosted Next Level Chef is the USA. It came to ITV in the UK in 2023.

In the same year his BBC show Future Food Stars returned for its second series.

In November 2023, Gordon and Tana had their sixth child.