With a blowtorch temper and language bluer than the rawest of steaks, Gordon Ramsay sits in a unique position atop the upper echelons of British haute cuisine. His signature restaurant earned three Michelin stars, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest eateries to grace the streets of London. With high octane back-of-house television shows like Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares, Ramsay has amassed a mass-media empire and a reputation for his ruthless pursuit of perfection.
But away from the pressure cooker world of fine dining, he’s begun to reveal himself as quite the family man. ‘The kids have brought the most emotion out of me,’ the chef told People magazine, describing himself as the ‘softie’ of the family compared to his wife Tana. Since becoming parents in 1998, the couple have welcomed six children – who are now beginning to take up the family mantle themselves. And with the announcement of Netflix’s new documentary Being Gordon Ramsay, let Tatler take you through the rising stars in the first family of food.
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This new documentary may well give fans an insider look into the Ramsay family – many of whom are becoming rising stars in their own right
Eldest daughter Megan Ramsay, 26, became the first of the dynasty to graduate from university when she left Oxford Brookes with her degree – but growing up with one of the world’s most famous chefs as your father isn’t always plain sailing. Gordon Ramsay recalled the moment he first introduced himself to Megan’s boyfriend: with a particularly intimidating Facetime call full of unprintable language. Ringing up to interrupt the couple’s date night, Ramsay immediately gave a characteristically candid greeting to Megan’s ‘shaking’ beau, Byron. ‘It’s me,’ he recalled saying, ‘not your future father-in-law, you little f––!’ Megan, it’s said, promptly hung up. And while meeting the parents might entail the most nerve-wracking family dinner in London, Ramsay explained that his brazen approach to any potential son-in-laws comes from a place of deep-rooted paternal care and a sense of fatherly fun. ‘I just want the girls to be looked after, and for them to look after each other,’ he said. ‘You’re always anxious about that.’
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Gordon Ramsay, Tana Ramsay, Holly Ramsay and Matilda Ramsay Dave Benett
The second Ramsay daughter, Holly, is dating someone who may be more accustomed to Gordon’s competitive spirit. The 24-year-old has been dating Olympian Adam Peaty since June 2023, after they met while the triple gold medal winner competed on Strictly Come Dancing with Holly’s sister Tilly (more on that later). The pair were one of the it-couples of the Games in Paris this summer, sharing heartfelt messages of support as Peaty competed in the pool. After narrowly missing out on an historic gold in the 100m breaststroke, the swimmer told fans that Holly ‘has been the best partner anyone could ever have’ during what proved to be a challenging fortnight for Peaty.
‘It’s never easy to undertake the challenges of living with a professional athlete with the emotional and physical toll it takes on us. You are the support behind me but also the best pruner of the tree, always letting me know and helping me where I can be better. I can’t wait for the exciting future we have together.’
And indeed, it sounds like Holly and Adam really are thinking long-term, maybe even planning on expanding the Ramsay clan. Telling The Times that Holly had been crucial to him reaching ‘this moment in my life where I can have peace and I can have that kind of love where it’s not defined by anything else other than the connection that we have’, Peaty went on to say that ‘I definitely want more kids’.
And what of his bond with Holly’s fiery father? ‘He just inspires me to be successful,’ Peaty told the outlet. ‘The family values are very similar to mine, and the way that Holly has been brought up is something that I see in her and is just so attractive for me.’ Indeed, Gordon and Adam seem to get on swimmingly, filming content together in advance of the Olympic Games in Paris.
