Chefs labelled ‘asses’ for TV donkey stunt
CELEBRITY chefs Gordon Ramsay, Gino D’Acampo and First Dates maitre d’ Fred Sirieix are in hot water for riding a cart being pulled by a small donkey.
The stunt, for their latest ITV collaboration, was labelled unacceptable and cruel by animal lovers.
In the scene, the famous trio squeeze on to the rusting metal wagon with a goat and the driver, who is brandishing a whip.
It comes after the stars’ van apparently broke down in the Moroccan desert.
But Audrey Gaffney, inset, from Ethical Bucket List, which lobbies to keep animals free from distress, said:
“It is clearly unacceptable for a small animal like this to pull four adult men.
“It’s quite disconcerting that no one involved questioned this. Again ITV have failed to undertake adequate research of this extremely important issue and, as is usually the case, the animal will suffer.”
Ms Gaffney, who has complained to the broadcaster, says donkeys in the region are often denied shade and water.
They can also “be overloaded, with poor quality, ill-fitting saddles and harnesses that cause cuts and injuries.” Charity Brooke, which improves the lives of donkeys, is also furious about the scene, shown last month on Gordon, Gino & Fred: Christmas Road Trip...Three Unwise Men. A spokesman said: “The chefs would have had a whole production crew there with vehicles, so it’s totally unnecessary. “At one point Gordon says he can walk faster, which begs the question, ‘Why don’t you then?’” Former newsreader and animal rights campaigner Jan Leeming dubbed the trio “idiots”, adding: “Didn’t it cross their minds that the load was too great for the poor little creature?”
But ITV insisted: “Our production team worked to ensure animal welfare ahead of filming, calculating weights and journey times in accordance with the known limitations of the animal, and monitoring its comfort throughout.”
It has been blasted previously over animal concerns, including when Martin Clunes climbed an elephant’s trunk.