Gordon Ramsay's Netflix Documentary Reveals Raw Family Trauma and Addiction Struggles
Netflix's new documentary series "Being Gordon Ramsay" premiered on February 18 with six episodes, providing an unprecedented and unfiltered look at Britain's most famous chef. The fly-on-the-wall series, created in collaboration with Netflix, follows the 59-year-old culinary icon as he undertakes what he describes as his most ambitious professional venture yet: opening five distinct dining concepts within London's second-tallest building, 22 Bishopsgate.
Beyond Restaurant Pressure: A Journey Into Personal Demons
While the documentary captures the immense pressure of launching multiple restaurants in one of London's most prominent skyscrapers, it delves much deeper into Ramsay's personal history. The chef speaks with remarkable candor about his difficult upbringing, his family dynamics, and the lifelong impact of his younger brother's decades-long heroin addiction. "I'm not embarrassed of my past. I got dealt a dysfunctional card. Big f**king deal," Ramsay declares on camera.
At another poignant moment, he reflects on how narrowly he avoided a completely different life path. "I was so close to not making it," Ramsay confesses, adding that this proximity to failure "is what keeps me going." The series makes no attempt to soften these harsh realities. Ramsay told LADbible he was "too honest" to have "sanitized" any aspect of the project. "We ripped off the Band Aid," he explains. "I need to do stuff that is raw. I need less shiny and more real. And I think that's me."
'That Could've Been Me': A Brother's Addiction and Lifelong Guilt
The documentary's second episode focuses intensely on Ramsay's brother Ronnie, now 58, who has battled heroin addiction for most of his adult life. The two brothers shared a bedroom growing up, often sleeping in bunk beds as their family moved repeatedly between deprived council estates. "I have a brother who's a heroin addict. We shared a bunk bed together," Ramsay reveals in the series. "He's 15 months younger than me, and he's been an addict for the last four decades. I've gone to hell and back with him, and so I have a guilt complex."
Ramsay emphasizes the stark divergence of their lives from nearly identical beginnings: "That could've been me, it could've been switched." He elaborates on their profound childhood connection and subsequent separation: "When that change is so close to you... it's your brother, right? It's not a cousin. It's not a mate down the pub. It's your brother. Born in the same house, grew up in the same bedroom, shared bunk beds, and so similar... But how can it be so different now?"
A Turbulent Childhood Shaped by Instability and Alcoholism
The Ramsay family's instability profoundly affected both brothers. Gordon has described his father as a "violent alcoholic" and has spoken openly about what he calls a "torrid relationship" with him. "It's hard, isn't it, when someone's an alcoholic?" Ramsay reflects in the first episode. "It's very hard to relate to that, because you're just... you're nervous. You're worried about hitting the end of the bottle and seeing that bottle of Bacardi disappear, because you know what happens at the end of that."
The Ramsay children—Gordon, Ronnie, and sisters Yvonne and Dianne—moved frequently during their childhood. At just nine years old, Gordon relocated from a tough Renfrewshire council estate to Stratford-upon-Avon, the first of many disruptive moves. Speaking on the Big Fish podcast in 2023, he recalled: "Growing up in multiple s**tholes, you get one's s**t together early. I just wanted to better myself and get out of a situation that was unfortunate. I had grown up on 15 council estates."
He described the constant upheaval: "There's always a nerve-wracking moment when you go to another school, another football club. Having to make mates again sometimes twice in one year. That's incredibly disruptive."
Diverging Paths: From Bali Prison to £180 Million Empire
Ronnie's struggles became public in 2007 when he was jailed in Bali for drug offenses, while Gordon's career took a dramatically different trajectory. Now estimated to be worth approximately £180 million through his global restaurant empire and television ventures, Ramsay credits relentless work ethic and his mother's resilience for his success. "The first ambition when I got successful was to give mum her own house, her own garage and a car," he shares. "It's a big thing for a son to look after their mum. She went to hell and back to look after us."
Yet the contrast with his brother remains constantly present in Ramsay's mind. "The flipside to my success is my brother's addiction to heroin. It's bizarre, isn't it?" he observes. "You grow up on several council estates, you're sharing this tiny bedroom and you're in bunk beds. You're so close as brothers, we're 14 months apart—so much has changed dramatically."
Ramsay concludes with a sobering reflection: "I have that reminder on a daily basis how different it could have been if I'd gone down a different road and felt the country owed me something rather than fighting for something."
