Gordon Ramsay has spoken openly about the poverty that shaped his childhood, describing his early years as “disgusting” and admitting there were times when he went days without food.
The revelations come in his new six-part Netflix documentary Being Gordon Ramsaywhich airs from Wednesday and follows the chef as he pours his energy into his latest high-profile project in the City of London.
Alongside the pressures of launching a major new business, the series sees Ramsay reflect on the hardships that fueled his relentless work ethic.
In an emotional episode, Ramsay looks back on his upbringing on council estates after being born in Scotland and moving to England as a child.
He remembers relying on food stamps in school and the shame that came with them, which explains how poverty affected him as a teenager.
“I was hungry all the time, there was no food in the house,” he says in the series.
“I was sometimes too embarrassed to use my coupons to get my free shepherd’s pie in case, you know, at age 15 or 16, a girl I fancied saw me. I was a skinny f***ing bean. I remember eating toothpaste and thinking it was delicious because there were several nights when we never ate.”
Reflecting on the bigger picture, Ramsay adds: “It’s appalling that we’re in this situation now. It’s disgusting, an embarrassment. The system is dysfunctional.”
These experiences have driven his involvement with the charity Feeding Britain, which aims to provide affordable food to around 800,000 children living in poverty across the UK.
The documentary also touches on painful family relationships.
Ramsay’s father, who died of a heart attack aged 53, struggled with alcoholism, while his younger brother Ronnie is a heroin addict.
The chef becomes visibly emotional as he remembers a recent phone call with his brother after a long period of not speaking.
“It was just sad because at the end of that call he said, ‘did I hear you ask for my bank details? I’ve got no electricity’,” Ramsay recalls.
“And so I said, “Come on, Ronnie, you know if I knew it was going on electricity, I would. But I know it’s gonna go to drugs.” And it’s hurting me, it’s killing me, mate. We’ve been down this road so many times.”
The series follows Ramsay over nine months as he prepares to open several ventures inside London’s landmark skyscraper 22 Bishopsgate, including Britain’s highest restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High, located on the 60th floor.
The intimate 12-seat chef’s table experience has already earned him another Michelin star.
Ramsay, who trained under Marco Pierre White before opening his first restaurant aged 35 and quickly earning three Michelin stars, admits the fear of losing everything still drives him.
“There’s always the fear that you’re going to lose it,” he says in the trailer. “I’ve lost stars; closed several restaurants throughout my career. That’s what fills my tank with fuel.”
Despite his global success and reputation as one of the world’s most famous chefs, Ramsay says that watching the documentary back is not something he intends to do.
“I don’t want to see it,” he admits with a smile. “I never watch myself on TV because it’s just incredibly unnerving.”
By exposing its past along with the pressure of building a new culinary landmark, Being Gordon Ramsay offers a raw look at how hardship, family pain and fear of failure have shaped the chef behind the shout, and why his memories of childhood poverty still matter so deeply today.
