Gordon Ramsay reflects on throwing critic out of restaurant after ‘brutal’ review

Gordon Ramsay has reflected on throwing prolific critic AA Gill out of his restaurant after receiving a bad review in the late Nineties.

The chef infamously ejected Gill, who died in 2016, from the Chelsea establishment The Gordon Ramsay, while Gill was out dining with Dame Joan Collins in October 1998.

At the time, the critic worked for The Sunday Times, and Ramsay was angry that the writer had described him as “a failed sportsman who acts like an 11-year-old” in a review of Ramsay’s previous restaurant, Aubergine. He waited until Gill had ordered before asking him to leave.

Ramsay reflected on the incident in a new Netflix documentary while discussing his treatment by the media, admitting: “I know it was wrong.”

However, he branded the late Gill a “knobhead” for having “a brutal personal vendetta” against him.

“Critics are important, OK? And constructive criticism is something that we thrive on, but when it becomes personal...” he said in the six-part series set to be released later this month.

“When he walked in with Joan Collins, he thought that I wouldn't have the balls to do anything to him ‘cause he’s sat with the glamorous, amazing Joan Collins,” Ramsay recalled.

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“And yeah, I couldn't wait for him to sit down, get the menu, time 20 minutes and ask him to get the hell out of that restaurant.

“Whether you're with Joan Collins or sat with the Queen, you're still going out, mate – you're not sitting here.”

He continued: “I know it was wrong, but that's what happens when women like Joan Collins come to dinner with knobheads.”

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The new documentary places the spotlight on Ramsay’s home life with his wife Tana, with whom he shares six kids, as well as his efforts to create five new dining concepts inside London’s landmark 22 Bishopsgate.

The couple’s daughters Tilly and Holly also take centre stage in the series, which documents the preparation for Holly’s wedding to Olympian Adam Peaty. The event took place in December 2025.

The wedding followed reports of a growing family rift, which, according to the Daily Mail, intensified after Peaty’s mother, Caroline, was not invited to the bride’s hen party.

However, last week, Ramsay described the family dispute as "upsetting". The renowned chef told the Daily Mail that he and Tana, had "welcomed" Peaty’s family when Holly began a relationship with the Olympic swimmer.

Ramsay said: “It’s just upsetting. It’s all self-inflicted from their side, because we’ve done nothing – none of what you’ve read: no rudeness, no ignorance – we welcomed them.”

Being Gordon Ramsay is released on Netflix on 18 February.