Gordon’s been at the porky pies!
HE prides himself on a honed physique, kept trim with gruelling triathlons and daily workouts. But Gordon Ramsay has undergone a transformation for his latest US TV show – thanks to four hours in the make-up chair and a prosthetic fat suit that boosts his 14st frame to a wobbly 20 stones. The celebrity chef, who admits using botox to keep his wrinkles at bay, goes undercover in the US version of his hit Channel 4 show The F Word, which begins next week. Worried television bosses have insisted the live show must have a built-in time delay in case the notoriously foul-mouthed star accidentally blurts out one of his trademark ‘f’ words. ‘The show airs live but I’ve been given a three-second delay, so if any naughty words do fall out they’ll bleep them out,’ the 50-yearold Johnstone-born star said last night. ‘The fat suit lets me go undercover. I’ve snuck into restaurants to see what other chefs are up to. It’s amazing to walk around incognito.’
Donning his disguise for the recorded segments of the show, Ramsay spent several hours in the make-up chair every morning having prosthetics applied to his face. A greasy dark wig, fake facial hair and custom-made fat suit completed the look.
‘No one recognised me, it was brilliant,’ Ramsay added.
The father of three prides himself on keeping in shape. After moving to the US in 2012, the 6ft 2in chef dropped from 16st 2lb to 14st, which he has maintained ever since. In 2013 Ramsay also completed the Kona, Hawaii triathlon in 14 hours and four minutes, an accomplishment he called ‘one of the proudest days of my life’. He has since completed a further three ultra-marathons. ‘Training is my release,’ he said. ‘I would be lost without it. I’ve seen so many chefs crash and burn. I need to stay fit.’ But while US success may be on the menu, TV watchdogs in the UK are investigating complaints from viewers after an expletive-laden episode of the chef’s Channel 4 show, Gordon Ramsay’s Hotel Hell, was accidentally aired at 11am. The repeat was screened last month, having previously aired after the 9pm watershed.