Gordon Ramsay’s fiery bust-up with Marco Pierre White exposed: ‘I had to cut ties’

Marco Pierre White is considered the godfather of UK cooking. Dubbed the first celebrity chef, Marco has been described as the "enfant terrible" of the UK restaurant scene. In 1994, aged just 32 years old, Marco became both the youngest chef and the first British chef to be awarded three Michelin stars.

Just five years later and the star chef retired from cooking altogether.

A combination of things led to his turning in the towel and handing back his Michelin stars.

The culinary world had, he admitted, brought out his darker side.

In 1987, Marco opened Harveys in Wandsworth Common, South London.

During the restaurant's early years, Marco regularly ejected patrons from the eatery if he took offence at their comments.

Many stories have floated from the Harveys days.

One includes a customer asking for chips with his lunch - which Marco personally hand-cut and cooked, but charged £25 for his time.

He regularly acted unpredictably and, In 2006, he remarked that he “used to go f***ing insane”.

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Marco has trained some of the UK’s best and most well-known chefs, including Gordon Ramsay.

He once made Gordon cry early on in his career at Harveys, with Marco recounting in 2006 to The Independent: "I don't recall what he'd done wrong but I yelled at him and he lost it.

“Gordon crouched down in the corner of the kitchen, buried his head in his hands and started sobbing.”

Marco and Gordon have, ever since, had a rocky relationship.

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Piers Morgan asked Marco in a 2012 GQ interview what he thought about Gordon as a chef.

He said: “Did you think he was good? Be honest about his abilities before you fell out.”

Marco replied: “I’ve never fallen out with him,” to which Piers said: “You severed the relationship.”

Marco explained: “I had good reason to.

“There were several things, but the straw that broke the camel's back was when he arrived at my wedding with a camera crew and filmed from the bushes.

“Six months later, I watched his TV show and there he was, winking at the camera at my wedding.

“If he'd asked me if he could film some of it to help his show and career, then I would have let him.”

Marco eventually lost sight of what his professional life was giving his personal life.

In a 2007 interview with Caterer and Hotelkeeper, Marco revealed the toll the kitchen had had on his life.

He said: "I was being judged by people who had less knowledge than me, so what was it truly worth?

“I gave Michelin inspectors too much respect, and I belittled myself.

“I had three options: I could be a prisoner of my world and continue to work six days a week.

“I could live a lie and charge high prices and not be behind the stove.

“I could give my stars back, spend time with my children and reinvent myself."