Born in the Scottish town of Johnstone in 1966, Gordon Ramsay moved to England with his family at the age of nine, where his first experience of the culinary trade was working as a pot washer in a local Indian restaurant.
Originally he wanted to be a professional footballer, but his sporting dreams were ended by injury before he turned his attention to hospitality, studying hotel management at North Oxfordshire Technical College.
A number of chef postitions followed, culminating in a move to London and a job working for the temperamental Marco Pierre White.
Television success arrived with the BBC miniseries Boiling Point in 1999, establishing his trademark fiery temperament and torrent of bad language.
Since then his restaurant empire has been awarded 17 Michelin stars, he has written numerous bestselling books, and he has enjoyed a string of hit TV shows both in the UK and America, including Hell's Kitchen, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, The F Word and the American versions of MasterChef and MasterChef Junior. These successes have led to him amassing a huge fortune (Forbes estimated his earnings for 2022 alone to be around $70 million).
Here are 13 interesting amusing quotes from the star chef.
9. Gordon Ramsay on...marriage
"My wife, a schoolteacher, very disciplined. If you think I'm tough, trust me, and wait till you see when the children are on the naughty step. It's hilarious. So we decided that I'm going to work like a donkey and provide amazing support for the family." Photo: Jonathan Ferrey
10. Gordon Ramsay on...work/life balance
"I think every chef, not just in America, but across the world, has a double-edged sword - two jackets, one that's driven, a self-confessed perfectionist, thoroughbred, hate incompetence and switch off the stove, take off the jacket and become a family man." Photo: David Lodge
11. Gordon Ramsay on...romance
"If I can give you one strong piece of advice, when you go away for that romantic weekend, whatever you do, do not accept or take the upgrade to the honeymoon suite." Photo: Frederick M. Brown
12. Gordon Ramsay on...teaching young chefs
"I train my chefs completely different to anyone else. My young girls and guys, when they come to the kitchen, the first thing they get is a blindfold. They get blindfolded and they get sat down at the chef's table... Unless they can identify what they're tasting, they don't get to cook it." Photo: AFP Contributor