Gordon Ramsay strives to be a better father because he had 'torrid relationship' with his own dad
Gordon Ramsay is determined to be the best father possible to his six children because he had a "torrid relationship" with his own dad.
Gordon Ramsay's "torrid relationship" with his father has inspired him to be a better dad.
The 59-year-old celebrity chef revealed that he strives to be as supportive as he can to his six children – Megan, 27, twins Holly and Jack, 26, Tilly, 24, Oscar, six, and Jesse, two – because of the difficult childhood he had with his alcoholic father Gordon.
In the opening episode of his Netflix docu-series Being Gordon Ramsay, he said: "I, sadly, had a torrid relationship with my father. My father called me a snob once. And I said, 'No, definitely not a snob. I just want to get out of the s*** mess I was born in.'"
Gordon remembers weekends when he would watch his dad "ruin his life through alcohol".
The Kitchen Nightmares presenter said: "It's hard, isn't it, when someone's an alcoholic? It's very hard to relate to that, because you're just... you're nervous.
"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's cooking career soared after he opened his own restaurant in Chelsea in the late 1990s but he admits that the success meant he wasn't able to spend much time at home with his wife Tana and his eldest children.
He explained: "I absolutely adore the kids. There's part of that love and affection that has built up through guilt.
"The older ones have made it clear and say, 'Can we see you more?', and, 'Dad, we miss you.' I feel I could have been there a bit more."
As a result, Gordon is determined to be more present in the lives of his youngest kids.
He said: "I'll make more time because I don't want them to say, 'You weren't there for my first day at school.'
"Everyone thinks travelling is glamorous. But it's super full-on. Being away from home is tough. I want that time to go as quickly as possible. It's the little ones I miss. It's hard. I miss them terribly."
