Gordon Ramsay is a force of nature, a man who knows his own mind and speaks it. Sometimes very loudly, especially on Reality TV. He is first and foremost a Michelin-Starred chef of international renown. His flagship restaurant Restaurant Gordon Ramsay has held 3 Michelin Stars for nearly 20 years.
Love came into his life when he met Cayetana Hutcheson (Tana). She was an 18-year-old teacher and he was a 20-something up and coming chef. They married in 1996.
It has, according to some, been something of a rollercoaster. When they were dating, Gordon was working 16-hour shifts and so the love birds were forced to meet at noticeably unsociable hours. Chefs like Gordon Ramsay are married to their work. And that can cause stress and strains in even the strongest relationships. Reportedly, there have been times when he was told by Tana to sleep in the basement. And she's been known to throw the odd dinner plate at him in anger.
Gordon was seemingly on top of the world. His restaurant empire was growing and he had two hit Reality TV shows (Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares). They showed Gordon being Gordon. He swore and yelled his way to the top of the Reality TV pile.
Then in 2008 something hit the fan. Sarah Symonds, who described herself as a "professional mistress" claimed that she and Gordon had been at it for 7 years. And she provided some juicy details in a book. Gordon denied the stories and apologized to Tana for the embarrassment and anguish the scandal had caused. They weathered that storm, just about.
Then a few years ago the family was thrown into turmoil yet again when Tana's father Chris Hutcheson served jail time for stealing money from Gordon's organization. And we haven't even gotten to the photos Gordon took of Chris and his mistress.
It was a mess, a true rollercoaster. But they are, last we heard, still hanging in there. Here are some home truths about Gordon Ramsay's marriage to Tana.
Ambitious Perfectionist Meets And Marries Teacher
By the time he married Tana in 1996, Gordon Ramsay had (in no certain order) had to leave a chef job because he was having his wicked way with the owners (older) wife, trained under the mercurial Marco Pierre White, later finding calmer waters training in Paris and with renowned chef Pierre Koffman in London. It was clear to the chef community that Gordon was something of a culinary genius. And the first time he laid eyes on Tana, he knew it was love. She was a Montessori teacher and 8 years his junior.
The only thing was when they met, she was dating one of his best friends. So, Gordon, not the most patient of men, waited. They finally tied the knot in 1996.
Both Gordon and Tana wanted kids, lots of kids. But physical problems with them both meant that after struggling with infertility they turned to IVF. Tana has said having to turn to IVF made her feel like a failure. Eventually, they managed to have 4 kids.
Then Gordon talked Tana into one more. She was hesitant at first. But we know how persuasive Gordon can be. And after a miscarriage in 2016, she gave birth to Oscar in 2019.
Well, Gordon makes $60 million a year and is worth $220 million. He can afford another mouth to feed!
That's The Good News: Now For Some Bad News
In 2008, Gordon's business plan was coming together nicely, thank you. He had hit Reality TV shows with Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares. In partnership with his father-in-law, Chris Hutcheson Gordon Ramsay Holdings was going from strength to strength, opening new restaurants and forging media connections.
Then Sarah Symonds happened. She called herself a "professional mistress". And she claimed that for 7-years she and Gordon Ramsay had been having a torrid affair. It got worse. She claimed that he had had other affairs. She gushed about how they were "soulmates". She even threw in little tidbits of pillow talk about how Tana sometimes made him sleep in the basement. To add insult to injury, there was even talk of how well endowed Gordon was.
So, in one corner, we have Gordon Ramsay, chef, wholesome family man, and devoted husband. And in the other corner, we have a woman who claims to be his mistress.
Gordon denied it. And then he denied it again. He went on TV and said it hadn't happened. In public, Tana stood by him. But in private? We're betting he spent a lot of time in the basement.
They weathered the storm somehow.
Then another crisis hit the fan when in 2017 good old Chris Hutcheson spent time in jail for stealing from Gordon Ramsay. It got really complicated when it emerged that Chris was playing away and that Gordon had pictorial evidence of his horizontal activities.
No word on how this all went down with Tana. Was she p***ed off with her dad or Gordon or both? We'd say both.
But somehow the couple weathered yet another storm.
And these days? We are back to Gordon the mega-rich chef and devoted husband and father. At least for the time being. Some say that Tana is willing to put up with quite a lot for 5 kids and a jet setting lifestyle.
