Gordon Ramsay’s dramatic weight gain and subsequent loss has caused a bit of a stir on social media recently, as a noticeable change in appearance sparked concern for the celebrity chef.
The 51-year-old veteran chef got ‘fat’ – hitting the 18 stone mark – and has now revealed the motivation behind slimming down and losing the excess weight.
Speaking on the Today show, Ramsay explained how his late father was the inspiration for his own transformation.
The chef said:
My father passed of a heart attack at 53. That man never ever ate in my restaurant, and it pains me today to think that.
Ramsay was just 30-years-old when his father died, and said he didn’t want his own children to go through the same thing he did, so became even more determined to shed the pounds he’d put on.
In another interview with The Times, as reported by The Sun, Ramsay explained further:
I may not have got on with him, but I still miss him. I miss everything I could have had from him if he was still alive in his 70s.
I don’t want my industry to kill me. I know how unhealthy chefs are at the top level. Stress. Suicide.
There’s a big downside to cooking loads for a living. It’s lethal: from obesity to heart attacks to cocaine habits.
The chef also credited his wife Tana, 41, for the motivation to get back in shape.
Tana said:
Gordon’s famous for being blunt. I just gave him a little bit of his own medicine and basically suggested that he was getting a little wide around his middle.
Ramsay also revealed how he’s gone about losing the weight, stating:
I’m very good now at eating five times a day, but small amounts as opposed to a big breakfast, big lunch… and a big dinner.
He also goes to the gym regularly, and has even started training for triathlons, inspiring his children to join in with his fitness routine, too.
Speaking to The Times, Ramsay, in typically swear-y fashion, opened up more about how his wife inspired him to drop the weight, saying:
Tana was not impressed with the way I was. I was overweight, 18 stone. I looked like a sack of sh*t. I look at the pictures and think, ‘How did Tana stay around?’
Because Tana has got better-looking and more gorgeous. And there she is, getting in bed with a fat f*ck.
Ramsay put his weight gain down to working long hours and never having the time to eat properly. Instead, he’d snack on the job.
Going on beach holidays with his good mate David Beckham didn’t exactly help his self-esteem either.
He added:
I didn’t have a figure. I didn’t feel that good. It was painful. I used to look at myself in the mirror and think, ‘Holy sh*t!’ So it was a big wake-up call.
Ramsay adopted a military-esque regime under the guidance of an ex-army captain. He now weighs 13st 10lbs.
Though he may be a swear-y, often very angry man, you’ve got to hand it to Ramsay for setting a good example here.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.