Gordon Ramsay has accused Jamie Oliver of crossing a line in their long-running feud with a remark about children.
Oliver, 42, is reported to have said that “he’s got four kids and I’ve got five kids and I don’t want to be slagging off some kids’ dad on telly”, suggesting that as both chefs were parents, they should not be squabbling in public.
But Ramsay, 50, read the remark differently, telling Radio Times magazine that the spat had been “fun” until his younger rival made the comment after what had been a “shit year”.
“Jamie turned round and said, ‘I’ve got five kids, he’s got four kids.’ To judge someone else’s family on the amount of kids you have…” Ramsay said.
TV chef Ramsay’s wife Tana suffered a miscarriage with the couple’s fifth child last year.
He accused Oliver, who became father to his fifth child, River Rocket, last year, of only campaigning on issues when the ex-Naked Chef had “something to promote”.
“It’s all very well to spout off now about sugar tax and supermarkets. None of that was spoken about when he was label-slapping with Sainsbury’s for 10 years,” he said.
“And no disrespect, but we’re chefs, not politicians. When you breathe that stuff down the public’s throat and say, ‘I’m leaving if we have Brexit’, then, I’m sorry, the door stands open.
“Stand for what you say. Sadly, the only time he opens his mouth is when he’s got something to promote.”
Ramsay said that he would not talk to Oliver again until he apologises to Tana, telling the magazine. “Boys will always fight and butt heads but Tana was mortified, I mean really mortified.”
Ramsay has also had a feud with Marco Pierre White, previously calling his Michelin-starred rival “a little bit sad”.
