The famously impatient chef and TV presenter Gordon Ramsay celebrates his birthday today – but how much do you know about him? Six facts you might not know.
Scottish chef Gordon Ramsay has been a fixture on our TV screens for more than two decades now. He began his TV career in the Uk with the show Boiling Point in 1999, where his strict manner – and copious use of profane language – quickly gained him a legion of fans. After that, other shows came such as Kitchen Nightmares – a show he later had huge success with when he went to the USA with it.
Since then, he has presented and appeared on a raft of shows from Ramsay’s Hotel Hell to Masterchef to The F Word. He has also been the basis for several well-known memes based on clips from his shows.
Today, he splits his time between the US and England. But how much do you know about Gordon Ramsay? Here are six things you might not know.
Michelin Star record
In the culinary world, a Michelin Star is the ultimate seal of quality for a restaurant. Gordon became the first Scottish chef to be awarded three Michelin Stars for a restaurant, which was Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London in 2001.
To date, his restaurants have been awarded a total of 17 Michelin Stars, making him one of he most successful chefs in the world.
All-round sportsman
It is well known that Gordon was a talented footballer in his youth and was on the books of Glasgow Rangers – although injury cut short his career before he made the first team and he turned his attentions to cookery.
But Gordon remains very interested in fitness. He has completed numerous marathons over the years for charities, including the Scottish Spina Bifida Association. He is also a black belt in karate and cycles regularly.
Custom shoes
While Gordon is known for being tall, what isn’t so appreciated is the size of his feet. He takes a size 15 shoe, which means all his footwear has to be custom made to ensure it fits properly.
Petrolhead
Gordon also loves fast cars. He has an impressive collection of supercars, including many Ferraris – he is a fan of the Italian marque. Ferraris in his collection include a 488 Spider, a Monza SP2 and F12tdf.
In addition, Gordon owns a McLaren Senna, a McLaren 675LT Spider, a Porsche 918 Spyder and an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera.
He has made films for his YouTube channel about his cars and has appeared on TV shows such as Top Gear to talk about his love of them. He also appeared in the ‘star in a reasonably priced car’ segment and clocked a time on 1.46.38 around the track – the seventh fastest recorded in a Chevrolet Lacetti.
Near-death experience
Gordon is never one to shy away from a challenge, but it has nearly cost him his life. When filming a segment about puffin hunting in Iceland in 2008, he slipped and fell from a cliff, landing in icy water. His film crew reported that Gordon was underwater for 45 seconds before he surfaced. Gordon’s quick-thinking actions to remove his heavy climbing boots and waterproofs enabled him to come back to the surface, where his crew threw him a rope to pull him back to land.
He never eats airplane food
Airplane food has had a dodgy reputation for many years, and Gordon hasn’t helped. In 2017, he said there was “no f*****g way I eat on planes” in an interview with Refinery29. He added the reason is that he used to work for airlines so he knows where the food has been and where it goes, and for how long before it gets to customers.
Instead, Gordon ensures that he eats before he goes on a long-haul journey.
