Gordon Ramsay has had a career as a chef spanning 40 years, since starting out under the supervision of Marco Pierre White back in the 1980s.
As he has become a devoted family man, he has ensured that he keeps his children grounded in the same way that his mother did for him, but one of his kids’ recent career shifts caught him off guard.
Speaking to Closer magazine, the Hell’s Kitchen star opened up about his thoughts on his daughter, Tilly, 23, choosing to switch career, as she has begun her training at Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, the school Gordon himself also attended.
“My family is like an army now,” he says. “But, thankfully, Tilly is the first one who’s interested in cooking. She paid for herself – worked, saved the money, and has gone off to culinary school.”
© ShutterstockGordon continued: “I said goodbye and put her on the ferry, and I thought, ‘[expletive], why didn’t she ask me to teach her? Is that my first big major [expletive] up?’ I can’t wait to ask that question – but it just got to show how unspoilt my kids are.
“They’re individually following their own path and aren’t dependent on their parents. I think that’s a good call.”
While also joking that, from a “chef’s point of view”, he’s upset that another professional has the opportunity to teach her, he also spoke about the career choices of his other children.
© Getty“Jack is in the Royal Marine Commandos,” Gordon explained. “He didn’t ask to be born into a sort of famous family, and he’s doing as I did – he’s grafting, fending for himself, becoming independent, and not relying on his parents. He’s got everything.”
Expressing pride in his children for carving their own paths, he asserted that he always tells his children: “You’ll appreciate it more if you’re not handed it on a plate.”
Gordon and Tana share six children: Megan, 27, twins Holly and Jack, 25, Tilly, 23, Oscar, six, and Jesse, one.
© Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty IEarlier this month, the celebrity chef also hinted that there might be another child on the way soon.
When Gordon appeared on Live with Kelly and Mark, host Kelly Ripa joked: “So you took a break in the middle, so you were overwhelmed, and then, just when things calm down, you were like, ‘Let’s do it again’.”
In response, he smiled and said: “Tana wants one more!”
