CELEBRITY CHEF Gordon Ramsay has written an extraordinary open letter to his mother-in-law, pleading with her not to cut ties with his family after he sacked her husband, his own father-in-law.
Ramsey fell out with Chris Hutcheson, the father of his wife Tana, and last month sacked him as the chief executive of Gordon Ramsay Holdings, ending his role as the chief’s business partner and mentor.
Following the sacking, Hutcheson (62) gave an interview to a Sunday newspaper in which he said his son-in-law had become a “monster” who had become “warped” by fame and who had poisoned his own daughter against him.
Since then, it is understood that Ramsay’s mother-in-law Greta had written to her daughter (37) asking that she stay away from the rest of her family.
Fearing that the bitter fallout could end up with Ramsay and his wife falling out of contact with his in-laws forever, Ramsay wrote to his mother-in-law Greta on his 44th birthday – through the London Evening Standard newspaper – pleading for family unity.
He writes:
I know how hard this must be for you, Greta, and I’m not expecting a birthday card today, but your punishment of your daughter and our four children, for all the wrong reasons, it’s so sad. She’s an amazing woman and you’ve been a fantastic mum, please don’t stop.
He also revealed, however, that he had fired his father-in-law after hiring a private detective who had revealed that his “away days were rarely what I thought they were”.
The letter in full – as first published – is reprinted below.
Dear Mother in Law
This has to be one of the most painful letters I’ve ever had to write. Listening to Tana in floods of tears reading your letter from you asking that she stays away from her family is so awfully wrong.
Removing my father in law, from my business has been the hardest and most important decision in my entire life. For a decade, his manipulation and controlling of so many lives has finally come to an end.
Chris recently suggested my mood swings were down to involvement with drugs; my god did that hurt. How dare he ever suggest this on the back of my frustration and dealings with my younger brother and his addiction.
To curb my suspicions I employed a private detective and the situation started to unravel very quickly. The very complex life that Chris leads, has seen many of my key staff feeling they have had to cover on his behalf. His away days were rarely what I thought they were. But beyond that, one of my biggest concerns was the business; signing huge contracts in my name and furthermore discovering emails were being looked at.
The office became stifled and the air of relief at Gordon Ramsay Holdings, knowing that we don’t need to pretend any longer, is a breath of fresh air. Three weeks ago today when I met with my team to explain the situation, you could instantly see the relief and joy on their faces. His role as CEO of Gordon Ramsay Holdings in the end felt like he was running the business as a dictator.
My relationship with my chefs, has been and always will be amazing. To see them as individual chefs, flourish and having now made their way to be some of the most prominent chefs in the country, gives me nothing but pride and joy. The creative chefs we turned into partners, the harder they worked, the more profit they generated, but when they requested a share of the profits, their departure was seemingly imminent, something I wasn’t comfortable with.
I know how hard this must be for you Greta, and I’m not expecting a birthday card today, but your punishment of your daughter and our four children, for all the wrong reasons, it’s so sad. She’s an amazing woman and you’ve been a fantastic mum, please don’t stop!
Lots of love,
Gordon
