Gordon Ramsay, the world-famous chef known for his fiery temper and sharp-tongued critiques, has found himself at the center of a fresh storm—this time, not in the kitchen, but on screen and in the headlines. The controversy erupted following the release of his new Netflix docuseries, Being Gordon Ramsay, which began streaming on February 18, 2026. The six-part series promises a behind-the-scenes look at Ramsay’s most ambitious project yet: the opening of a sprawling new restaurant concept at 22 Bishopsgate, one of London’s tallest and most prestigious buildings. But the show’s attempt to reveal a softer, more vulnerable side of the culinary titan has drawn sharp criticism from an unexpected source—Sarah Symonds, the woman who alleges she was Ramsay’s mistress for seven years.
Symonds, 56, has publicly lambasted the Netflix series, branding both the show and Ramsay himself as “fake and misleading.” According to Daily Mail, she didn’t mince words: “The title of the docu-series Being Gordon Ramsay is totally fake—just like him. It’s misleading and disingenuous. A travesty in fact, as nothing about it was ‘Being Gordon’ at all.” For Symonds, the series’ depiction of Ramsay as a devoted husband and family man doesn’t hold water. “It was a glossed over, rehabilitated, glow-up version of a bully, cheat, liar and serial philanderer,” she asserted.
The docuseries itself tracks Ramsay, now 59, as he juggles the demands of launching his latest culinary venture with the everyday realities of family life. Viewers see him alongside his wife, Tana Ramsay, 51, and their six children: Megan (27), twins Holly and Jack (26), Tilly (24), Oscar (6), and Jesse (2). The show’s narrative arc leans heavily on Ramsay’s evolution, not just as a chef but as a husband and father. It even features moments of reflection, with Ramsay opening up about his working-class upbringing and admitting to being absent during his children’s early years—a side rarely seen by the public.
But for Symonds, the tears and vulnerability don’t ring true. She claims her own experience with Ramsay paints a very different picture. Speaking to Daily Mail and echoed by Mirror, Symonds described Ramsay as a man who “always acted like a single man, a man about town. He was always available and always at the same social venues late at night as me. He had the swagger and confidence of a man with no responsibilities, and the persona of a man who certainly wasn’t rushing home.”
Symonds alleges that her relationship with Ramsay began in 2001, when she was 31 and working in sales for an events and limo company in London. She claims they met at the city’s infamous Chinawhite Nightclub. According to her, Ramsay had “no regard” for his wife Tana, implying that the chef’s marriage and family life were little more than a public relations tool. “He said that it just looked good if he was married, but that he was his own man,” Symonds recalled.
The affair, which Symonds claims lasted seven years, became public in 2008 when she came forward with her allegations. Ramsay, for his part, has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He has maintained that he only ever met Symonds four times, and in 2008, told an audience at the BBC Good Food Show in Birmingham, “If I was going to cheat it wouldn’t be with a complete slapper.” He has repeatedly described the allegations as completely fabricated, telling the press, “It never happened. It was completely made up. She set it up to make some money.”
The fallout from the allegations was dramatic. That same year, Ramsay and Tana renewed their wedding vows in a public demonstration of unity. According to Metro, the couple’s decision was meant to “show the world their relationship is as strong as ever.” Since then, the Ramsays have welcomed two more sons, Oscar and Jesse, and endured the heartbreak of a miscarriage in 2016, losing baby Rocky five months into Tana’s pregnancy. Speaking to HELLO! magazine at the time, Ramsay said, “We were devastated, but thankfully we’re through the worst now. It could happen at any time to anyone. It has brought us all so much closer.”
Despite the family’s public show of resilience, Symonds insists the Netflix series is a “sham” and that the portrayal of Ramsay as “unflinchingly honest” is deeply distressing to her. She claims that watching the show triggered the post-traumatic stress disorder she says she developed after Ramsay denied their affair. “If I read once more that this documentary is ‘unflinchingly honest’, I think I’ll scream,” Symonds told Daily Mail. “I am trying to heal, and then this appears everywhere. It makes me so angry.” She has even suggested she may take legal action against Ramsay, claiming the stress of their alleged relationship and his repeated denials led to addiction issues and lasting trauma.
Symonds, who authored the book Having an Affair? in 2007 and was once dubbed a “professional mistress” for her relationships with other married men, including politician Jeffrey Archer, has not limited her criticism to Ramsay’s on-screen persona. She’s also waded into family disputes involving the chef’s daughter Holly and her husband, Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty. After Peaty reportedly cut ties with his own family and uninvited them from his wedding to Holly Ramsay, Symonds reached out to Peaty’s mother, Caroline, via Facebook. The two women have since bonded over their shared frustrations with Ramsay, exchanging voice notes and supporting one another. “Caroline and I are close. One could say we are kindred spirits. Because if anyone knows what she is going through it is me. I wanted her to know I thought the way Gordon and his family were treating her was terrible. I just felt so sad for her and wanted to try to make her feel a bit better,” Symonds explained to Daily Mail.
The controversy doesn’t end there. Earlier in February 2026, Ramsay was also compelled to address allegations that he had “behaved like a bully” toward his son-in-law Adam Peaty’s parents. Peaty reportedly described Ramsay as a “big bully,” a claim the chef flatly denied in an interview with The Sun, calling the accusations “appalling.” “I’m certainly not a bully,” Ramsay insisted.
As Being Gordon Ramsay continues to stream on Netflix UK, the debate over its authenticity and the true nature of Ramsay’s private life rages on. While some viewers are drawn in by the chef’s apparent vulnerability and family devotion, others—like Symonds—see only a carefully curated façade. Representatives for Ramsay have been contacted for comment by multiple outlets, but as of publication, have not issued a new public statement.
The Ramsays’ story is one of public triumphs, private turmoil, and the relentless glare of the spotlight. Whether Being Gordon Ramsay offers an honest portrait or simply another layer of celebrity myth-making, one thing is certain: the chef’s life, both on and off camera, is never short of drama.