Marcus Wareing says feud with Gordon Ramsay was ‘the best thing that ever happened to them’

The rift pushed the chef to find a ‘different ambition’ and be out of Ramsay’s shadow
Marcus Wareing (left) says his feud with Gordon Ramsay was the making of them
PA
Dominique Hines17 February 2023
The Weekender

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Marcus Wareing has said that his infamous feud with chef Gordon Ramsay was “the best thing that ever happened to them” as he would’ve stayed in his shadow.

The pair fell out when Wareing, 52, was working at Ramsay’s London restaurant, Aubergine, but now he claims the row was the making of them.

“It was the best thing that ever happened to both of us,” the father-of-three told Daily Mail columnist Richard Eden.

“I wanted to be in his shoes and I can’t be in his shoes – they’re too big. I knew I couldn’t fill them and I think I had another ambition and I had another goal. So I had to try.”

Ramsay has gone on to global fame and success, including bagging seven Michelin stars for his many restaurants and having hit shows like Hell’s Kitchen and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.

Wareing (centre), with Monica Galetti and Gregg Wallace, is now a judge on Masterchef
BBC/Shine TV

Wareing has also carved out a strong career as a restaurateur and a media personality.

He’s now a judge on BBC’s Masterchef: The Professionals, as well as the owner of his self-titled restaurant in Knightsbridge.

In 2021, Wareing admitted he was the one who started the feud. He told British GQ: “Listen, you must understand it was me who started it with Gordon.

“I picked a fight. I no longer wanted to be kept in a corner, moaning and feeling like I had nothing to offer his business.

“So I spoke up. And, well, it got nasty.”

Ramsay, pictured for his latest show Next Level Chef on ITV, has gone on to have huge global TV success and gained seven Michelin stars
ITV

The pair, who were once so close that Ramsay was the best man at Wareing’s 2000 wedding and is godfather to his eldest son Jake, have only seen each other once since the rift at a London Olympics event in 2012.

Wareing previously gave details about their fractious relationship. “Gordon verbally kicked the s*** out of you then he would buy you a beer,” he told Weekend Magazine in 2011.

“He put me through mental torture. I’d be first in the morning, and I’d lock up at night. All day, there’d be Gordon being Gordon. It’s a wonder we all survived.”

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