WHAT THEY GOSSIPED ABOUT: THE REAL AND THE FAKE
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THE CELEB CHEF IS IN HOT WATER AGAIN AFTER SCUFFLE ON THE SHOW SET IN THE U.S. 
Photo: Chef
Gordon Ramsay - famous for his verbal tirades - is in trouble after
clashing with a contestant on the US version of Hell’s Kitchen.
Photo credits: Rob Pery
HE
IS famous across Britain for his foul-mouthed outbursts - but
award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay has now revealed his notorious
temper to a new audience in the United States. The Michelin-starred
cook has landed himself in the soup after clashing with a contestant
on the US version of his hit show, Hell’s Kitchen. Ramsay, 37, whose
four-letter tirades have turned him into a household name, is said
to have scuffled with the man on set. The American sprained his
ankle after he fell to the floor during the incident and was left
needing hospital treatment. Ramsay has been in Los Angeles for two
weeks filming the US version of the programme for Fox TV. It is
believed the chef, who is being paid £1 million for the show, became
embroiled in a shoving match after a contestant roused his notorious
temper. Ramsay is reported to have spent much of Friday in
discussions with lawyers over how to avoid a legal action from the
contestant. The incident happened last week and is thought to have
been caught on camera. A spokeswoman for Ramsay said: "One cast
member did hurt his ankle on set and was taken to hospital, where it
was diagnosed as a sprain. He was advised to rest and therefore
taken off the show. "This is a minor matter and will not interfere
with the rest of the production timetable. This is all we are
advised to say at this moment." Ramsay is understood to have told a
colleague about the incident, saying: "It’s a disaster. A guy on set
p***ed me off. We got into a shoving match and fell down and did his
ankle. Everyone is really p***ed off with me. "I’ve been in constant
meetings with lawyers trying to avoid a lawsuit. My people in the UK
know about it and they’re really angry with me. "The people at Fox
are frightened there is going to be a massive lawsuit. The guy wound
me up and I got angry. He hurt his ankle when he fell. It wasn’t
intentional. I’m Gordon Ramsay, for goodness sake: people know I’m
volatile. But I didn’t mean to hurt the guy." The chef, a former
Glasgow Rangers footballer, has been filming the American version of
the show which features members of the public rather than
celebrities
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in Los Angeles since the beginning of the month. He is due back in Britain in the next few weeks. Ramsay’s wife Tana flew back to Britain on Friday after a short stay with her husband. The chef’s rise to fame has been as much about his colourful language as the quality of his cooking. His first TV appearance in 1998 was in a fly-on-the-wall documentary at his £100-a-head Chelsea restaurant where his staff were frequently on the wrong end of his verbal tirades. After one confrontation with pastry chef Nathan Thomas over his banana parfait a complaint was made to the police accusing Ramsay of assault. He denied this but the programme showed another worker cycling away in tears because they were so upset by their treatment. Ramsay ordered food critic AA Gill and guest Joan Collins out of his restaurant because Gill had once been rude to him. He was seen regularly criticising colleagues on Channel 4’s Kitchen Nightmares, and on one occasion was asked to go outside for a fight by a Lake District restaurateur. Ramsay also rarely held his tongue with contestants on ITV’s Hell’s Kitchen which was aired this summer. His use of the F-word while giving his celebrity contestants the ‘hair dryer treatment’ earned ITV1 a slap on the wrists from television watchdog Ofcom. In the show’s most memorable scene Coronation Street actress Amanda Barrie walked out after lashing out at the chef with a kitchen utensil. But he saved his most vicious attacks for former Tory MP Edwina Currie branding her "diseased", "poisonous" and a "pathetic bitch". Ramsay also made a series of jibes about Mrs Currie’s affair with former Prime Minister John Major. He said: "One minute you are s******g the Prime Minister and now you are trying to s**g me from behind." He vowed never to make another series and branded the celebrity participants a bunch of whingers.-Jonathan Leswar. DEPP AND WINSLETT AT THE RED CARPET
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Actors Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet have graced the red carpet at the UK premiere of Finding Neverland. The film tells the story of Peter Pan author JM Barrie, played by Depp, and the inspiration for his famous tale. Proceeds from the London premiere, in Leicester Square, will go to the Great Ormond Street Hospital, which treats sick children. Winslet plays Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, a mother whose young sons inspired Barrie to write the classic. Barrie, who never had children of his own, met the boys in London's Kensington Gardens. US critics had tipped Depp to win an Oscar nomination for his performance as the Scottish writer. Depp has admitted he had trouble with the Scottish accent required for the role. "Musically, rhythmically, I initially couldn't quite get a hold of it. "Luckily, I found this dialect coach who helped me out a great deal." Winslet, who wore a stunning floor-length turquoise Ben de Lisi dress to the premiere, has said being the mother of two young children helped her with the part. "I don't think I could have played Sylvia if I wasn't a mother," she said. "There is something about the physicality of being a parent that you don't know about until you become one." The film also stars screen legends Julie Christie and Dustin Hoffman. The movie has been accused of playing down the ambiguous nature of Barrie's obsession with children. Some descendants of the Llewelyn Davies family are also said to have expressed some disappointment that the film does not "stick to the facts". But film studio Miramax has the production was meant to be a fictional retelling rather than a biopic. ROBERT DE NIRO FAILED TO TURN UP AT FILM EVENTS IN ITALY
The Italian-American film star was due to receive Milan's highest honour, the Golden Ambrosius award, from the city's mayor on Thursday. He also failed to appear at a press conference for the New York Tribeca film festival in Rome. In a statement issued by his publicist in Los Angeles, De Niro, 61, blamed "serious communication problems". Very possible? Yes? No! ? More on the next page |
