Gordon Ramsay Reflects On Rocky Relationship With His Dad In New Doc

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It's been reported what Chef Gordon Ramsay is really like behind closed doors. The intriguing celebrity chef has historically been transparent and forthcoming about his rocky childhood and his relationship with his father growing up. Witnessing his father's alcoholism and the deterioration of his parents' relationship is one of several tragic details about Gordon Ramsay's life. In the first episode of the recently aired Netflix documentary series "Being Gordon Ramsay," the chef divulges additional details that paint the picture of his childhood experience.

"I sadly had a torrid relationship with my father," Ramsay says. "I just couldn't wait to spend time out of the house, away from him." Following his comment, Ramsay's wife, Tana Ramsay, replies, "It's fair to say you weren't his favorite son." She recalls Ramsay's father making a point to say things that he knew he wouldn't agree with. 

Ramsay says that watching his father go through alcoholism left a lasting impression on him. "It's hard, isn't it, when someone's an alcoholic?" he says. "It's very hard to relate to that cause you're just...you're nervous."

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Further into the conversation about his father, Gordon Ramsay describes the fear he felt during his childhood. "You're worried about, you know, hitting the end of the bottle and seeing that bottle of Bacardi disappear, because you know what happens at the end of that." 

Ramsay says that, having gone through a tough personal experience, he is aware and conscious of how he interacts with his own children and grandchildren. "So, in many ways, I'm using that awful relationship to become a better dad." 

In a subsequent scene, Ramsay's wife, Tana, gives a confessional during which she describes the relationship between the chef and his daughter, Matilda (Tilly). She notes that Tilly — the most similar to her father out of all of the children — plans to follow in his professional footsteps and attend culinary school. Ramsay later takes Tilly shopping for the proper chef's attire and says that he's happy to be able to support her, noting that early in his career, his father voiced disapproval for his industry choice. Still, even without his father's blessing, Gordon Ramsay was unsurprisingly crowned the most successful celebrity chef.