That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Gordon Ramsay

Episode Date: February 24, 2026

Chef, TV star, entrepreneur and all-round sweary guy Gordon Ramsay joins Gaby for a natter about the things that bring him joy. He talks about how emotional he got at his daughter Holly's wedding to Adam Peaty, and being wracked with nerves about the speech. He and Gaby also reminisce on the time he cooked her and Terry Wogan lunch - and how and why he still has as much passion for cooking as he did on day one. And of course - they chat about Kitchen Nightmares!

Hello, Gordon Ramsey. So good to see you. Gorgeous, oh my God. And congrats on everything, by the way. Gordon, the greatest, this is the most showbiz story about us. Right. But the greatest meal I have ever had was when Terry Wogan took me and Chris Evans and Terry for lunch, and you cooked it at Hospital Road.

I did. And you, even you got angry because I'm a vegetarian, but you gave in. And you made it gluten-free. and it was the greatest meal and then you came and sat with us. It was an honour and you know. Terry Wogan. Yeah, no.

He loved his food. He did, a real proper food. And also just what you guys, you know, did and are doing for the industry. But last Monday was quite a significant day because Roller off the road and Chelsea just celebrated 25 years at 3 star Michelin.

So we got awarded the 3-star bad. 25 years. At 3-star at the top. So, yeah, beautiful. You've got to come back. I will. Please, please, please. Oh, but I've got to come to the new one.

I have to say, so becoming Gordon, I mean, you are Gordon. You really are, so you don't have to become because you are. In my eyes, you're already you. But what, that, I mean, okay, you're going to go right at the top. You're going to do 100 million things at the same time. Yes. And that whole thing building the restaurants, we're going to talk about in a second. But what's the thing that made me cry?

What made me cry from episode one? Oh, maybe the time with Oscar or Tana and I in the car? No, the time. when you, the chef's whites. Oh, my God, don't. That'll get me going. Oh, I cried. Yeah, no.

I mean, so did I. Your baby girl trying on her chef. Yeah, I know. And also, I think, just watching her sort of come full circle into this incredible young lady, you know, and I'm always, you know, desperate to search for more female chefs and the industry's got such a notorious reputation, and we need that kind of powerhouse trailblazer.

And so it was hard seen to go off to Belly Molo. I'll be honest. because she didn't want to be trained by me. But coming back to the fold with knowledge that I haven't got was what was the missing piece in the jigsaw, I think. How does that feel that she knows things that you don't know? Because you're, I mean, you admit it yourself, you're very competitive. Yeah.

So was there a case of, how do you know things I don't know? Yeah, it makes you feel like shit. Absolutely shit. Okay, so what does she taught you? We were sort of arguing about, you know, recipes and dissecting chickens and this way, and I said, no, it's got to be done this way. and then she showed me another way that was on the bone and a cut that I hadn't seen.

I thought she'd forgotten the oysters under the carcass, but she hadn't. It was even another cut. So I said there's six, she said there's eight, and I was wrong, she was right. So to get your ass kicked by a 24-year-old, that happens to be your daughter,

is a good sign today, right? Oh, I love that. I absolutely love that. I remember when she was a baby. I know. I remember with ton of, oh, my goodness me. Those blonde, curly locks. But I know how hard the industry is,

and I'm saying, look, you know, you sure you want this. Dad, you know, I want it. Then she went off to Australia, learnt. She's off to Japan next, going down to Kyoto to live with a family, to master sushi. And so, you know, the world's her oyster. And yeah, it's great to see her become so individual. But for you, if you go back all the way back to your childhood,

everybody knows and wanted to be a footballer and all of that stuff, if you were to put you now witnessing that TV, show, all the stuff you've done around the world, but your baby girl going off and doing that and the wedding and everything. If you were to watch this as a TV show, Little Gordon at 8, what would Little Gordon say? Oh my goodness. I mean, 8 was one of my most favorite birthdays. I got a secondhand Air Fix model, and it was of this incredible racing car that I then went after Sunday school to Silverstone to see if I could find this car. And so, um, mum in store. early on about a strong work ethic

and growing up watching her, you know, juggle three jobs, not seeing her sometimes to sort of 8, 9pm on a Christmas day was tough. So working hard pays off. I think that's what I've learned. And then coming from that sort of background, you know,

I take everything, you know, I'm grateful, I think, you know, I haven't been spoiled by the success. I think that's the most important and incredibly lucky. But I think you create your own luck in life. No one just gets luck. I think you need to create your own luck. But you've always said that. Yeah, yeah. Because mum, listen, you know, I remember mum coming to Claritius for the first time and I got this incredible suite and it was the opening party. And the butler knocked on the door and said,

Mrs. Ramsey, may I run your bath? And mum said, certainly not. I can run my own bath. And so things like that still ring home. And we're quite close because she was very young when she had me. And there's only 19 years apart from us. And so she had four. kids before she was 20. So you just have to think about just the power she installed in all of us to sort of have a strong work ethic and set a great example. But you've done that with your kids as well, your 2,500 kids. Yeah, no, no, six of them. Yeah, we had four amazing. I mean, I always get excited when to see Meg put her police uniform on and then I get nois, want to see the stab jacket going on on top of that, then the tasers there and then the baton. But that's what she wants, right?

She got inspired when I made a documentary years ago on a substance, and then I was, working with the NCA's, and I think that's where she wants to go down the line. Jack, Royal Marine Commander, incredible Holly into her fashion, and Tilly finally, one into cooking. They must have watched too many of the kitchen nightmares early on. Yes, I would say they're quite used it. Because you don't swear at home, but suddenly those TV shows, you've become this larger-than-life caricature.

First of all, I've got a job to do, right? And I take these restaurants incredibly serious, because when they don't work, I feel incredibly embarrassed that I'm at the top of my game and I'm giving them everything I've got, the prescription's there, but you've got to take the medicine, right? You know that.

You've got to work hard at it. And then when they are successful, you don't get credit, but when they do fail, you get blamed. They blame you for their failure. Of course they do. Yeah, no, I, um, we've got a new season coming out

in the next couple of months. And again, you know, testing times, like, guys, it's a business. You don't indulge in this. You don't sit there every night, have dinner and indulge in your own business. you work at it. You work, yeah, but you do work hard.

But as we see in the show, that your family time is really important as well. When you're with your babies, that is, and when you're all your babies, they're all babies, whatever it they are. That's the golden. That's the real Gordon. That's not the TV Gordon.

No, no, it's hard, isn't it? Because not only do I think I got a responsibility, I want to be a great dad. I want to grow up with a dad that I didn't have. I want them to understand that I didn't have that. So I think I use that dysfunctional card that I got dead. out and I do the opposite.

And so it's funny because Oscar was saying to Tarna only this morning after watching a little clip before breakfast saying, Daddy's dad didn't like him. And I say to Tarna that, look, I wasn't the favorite because, you know, I didn't want to follow these footsteps. And so I was sort of shunned. I think there's a lot of kids that feel that way. And so the relationship with mum is off the charts, you know. So, yeah, I think being a person.

parent. It's a moving target. And I was in the gym recently and I sat and I watched on the what bike adolescence. And again, another stern reminder. It's about the circles you put them into. Stay close to them. Absolutely. And I remember saying to the girls years ago, I think there was seven or eight, nine years of age, Holly, Megan Matilda said, look, girls, the early you tell me, the more I can do. And every year, I'd say the same. Then it got to sort of 14 and 15 and all a sudden that dad can have a word. I'm getting bullied at school. What do you think? And so, So that closeness is really important for me. And so far, you know, we've got it right.

And, you know, it's not perfect. But my goodness me, am I in love with my kids' independence? That's fantastic. And wedding, sorry, wedding, how much did you cry at the wedding? Don't. You see the size of the flower bill? Soap. 63 metre walk down the aisle.

And I don't know why Holly thought that every pew need to be decorated with the most gorgeous carnations. All the flowers did go to a hospice and local hospice. and local hospital, literally, the day after. And then there's this moment, I'm like, the car journey. And she's holding my hand, and she's squeezing it and said, Dad, it's time. I'm like, oh, no.

No, no, but I've just, you know when you get excited and then you're sort of nervous. You can let me cry. And you say, no. And then I walked into the bloody church, and there's Adam absolutely bawling like it just got out of the swimming pool. And even I'm feeling emotional now because it is an incredible day. And we had such an amazing morning together. but yeah I sort of got a new sun as well

as opposed to saying goodbye to Holly so yeah an amazing day and just Bath Cathedral Bath Abbey just beautiful really beautiful so yeah the whole thing just went incredibly well and yeah the speech I had to hold it together

Did you? Yeah You didn't cry in the speech You're very emotional man The food's emotional I've seen you cry I suppose I, again, I was first up, and so I wanted to set the tone in a way that this means so much for Tana and I. And Adam is one of the most gorgeous, disciplined young men you'll ever hope to meet. And just so, again, hardworking.

He calls me dad. He messaged me and said, hey, dad, what have you got? Hey, dad, you know, are you around later? And it's just like, oh, my God. So, yeah, incredible. And what a lovely couple. they are you know a dream for Tana and I

oh how lovely incredible how lovely incredible is it very different the food how do people react to you in America as opposed to here

is it very different reaction no no we've been working out there since 2003 and so it was 20 years we had a lot of time out there I think of anything when you just want to sit down and eat it's hard especially with Tana and you know when you say no to photograph or an autograph you're sort of you know

the biggest A-hole in the room. So I'm two pliers. Yeah, of course. And then you're just interrupted constantly. However, the first thing they look at is who's behind you, is there a film crew? And are you filming kitchen nightmares?

And if you are, should we be in here now? But now we find peace, you know, in L.A. and in Malibu, we go on great cycles, and we have, you know, the most amazing time there. So when we're on, we're on.

But when we're off, we're off. You can really switch off. 100%. And that's where Cornwall's become our little sort of a little haven because there's this microclimate down there that's great swimming, there's incredible food and yeah, it's beautiful down there.

You've done many things that you've said you would do, you've done your 10 marathons in 10 years. You also, in 2002, as you've reminded us all, and you did say live on TV with me and the late great Terry Wogan, a year after you got it, you did share that you won, what was it, Tosso of the year?

You just put it on your social. yesterday. It's pancakes. Yeah, pancakes. So pancakes. Come on, share. Come on.

It was pancake day this week. Exactly that. But also, you know, every great chef's a fantastic, prolific tosser. And so there's an art in tossing, right? You use the wrist, you push it down,

you flip it back. Sorry, show me. Show me. So you push and pull back. Pull back. Okay, and let the pan... Pull back. No, no, don't go there.

And so you push down, and then you flip and you toss it back towards you. And so I always have a laugh for the pancakes, because I always say to the chef's multitask. So they're like this, giving it large. I said, okay, get another pan in that hand and show me how a real tosser tosses of pancakes.

Do it with two pans, push down and flip. Can you do two hands? I can do three pans in two hands. Don't go there. Don't go there, Gordon Ramsey. I love you. Gordon Ramsey!