Do we like Gordon Ramsay?
Our score: 6 out of 10. One nasty 2009 outburst he apologised for, a hot-headed screen persona and disputes he denies, set against long-running charity work, with a thinner record than we'd like.
Gordon Ramsay was born in Johnstone in Scotland and became one of the most recognisable chefs on the planet, thanks to shows like Hell's Kitchen and Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. STV reports he has racked up 17 Michelin stars across his career, with seven held now. He's also known for a fiery temper on screen, which is the whole brand.
The story that matters most for this page is 2009, when he took a swing at Australian journalist Tracy Grimshaw at a live cooking show in Melbourne. PinkNews reported a doctored picture and abusive remarks, and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd publicly condemned him. Ramsay denied calling her a lesbian, but apologised on air, called his comments stupid and said he was deeply mortified, then phoned her. Grimshaw said she accepted the apology.
On the harm test, that's the one real stain we found. We searched for anything on LGBTQ+ people, women, climate, vaccines or migrants and found no campaigning, conspiracy talk or culture-war grifting in his own words. The record is mostly tabloid-adjacent and thin on his politics, so call this an honest gap rather than a clean bill of health.
In 2025 ITV News reported allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour against his former TV co-star Gino D'Acampo, which D'Acampo strongly refuted. Ramsay himself did not address them directly. His production company Studio Ramsay said it had not worked with D'Acampo on a series since 2022 and takes all allegations of workplace misconduct seriously.
Ramsay has fought plenty of business battles. In 2022 a New York judge ended an eight-year dispute over a Los Angeles restaurant in his favour, calling his former partner not a credible witness and ordering payments of roughly 4.5 million dollars. It's a win in court rather than a character reference, but it shows he doesn't just roll over.
The recent noise is small. A viral clip alleged a dog was left to relieve itself at his Street Pizza restaurant in London, and Fox News reported he called the pile-on overexaggerated and said CCTV showed the dog did nothing of the sort. Dogs, he said, are only allowed on the outdoor terrace.