Marcus Wareing admits his feud with Gordon Ramsay was ‘the best thing that ever happened to them’

Marcus Wareing has admitted he believes his feud with Gordon Ramsay was ‘the best thing that ever happened to them.’

The chef, 52, clashed with the legendary cook when they both worked at Gordon’s swanky London restaurant Aubergine. 

Now, Marcus has admitted that his row with Gordon proved to be the making of them both, telling The Daily Mail’s Richard Eden it pushed him to find ‘another ambition’.

Both have certainly gone onto have huge success, with Marcus now a judge on BBC’s Masterchef: The Professionals, as well as the owner of his self-titled restaurant in Knightsbridge.

Meanwhile Gordon has a total of seven Michelin stars across his franchise of restaurants, and has become one of the nation’s most beloved TV chefs through his shows’ including Hell’s Kitchen and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.

Speaking about their famous feud, father-of-three Marcus said: ‘It was the best thing that ever happened to both of us. 

‘I wanted to be in his shoes and I can’t be in his shoes — they’re too big. 

‘I knew I couldn’t fill them and I think I had another ambition and I had another goal. So I had to try.’

Gordon was the best man at Marcus’ wedding back in 2000, and is the godfather of his eldest son Jake, but while working together their relationship turned sour. 

In November 2021, Marcus admitted he was the one who started the feud with Gordon, telling British GQ: ‘Listen, you must understand it was me who started it with Gordon.

‘I picked a fight. I no longer wanted to be kept in a corner, moaning and feeling like I had nothing to offer his business.

‘So I spoke up. And, well, it got nasty.’

He added that they have since only seen each other once, at a London Olympics event in 2012.

Insight: The chef, who is a judge on Masterchef: The Professionals, said the spat led him to find a ‘different ambition’

He previously detailed the spat during an interview with Weekend Magazine in 2011, explaining: ‘Gordon verbally kicked the s*** out of you. Then he would buy you a beer. He put me through mental torture.

‘I’d be first in in the morning, and I’d lock up at night. All day, there’d be Gordon being Gordon. It’s a wonder we all survived.’

The chef added that the pair came close to physical violence, adding: ‘Bloody close. Once, about six months before we finished, he came into the kitchen on a Saturday night. We had a conversation.’

Soon afterwards, Wareing and Ramsay headed for court, ad after a bitter battle over the Ramsay-owned but Wareing-run Petrus, Gordon got the right to keep the Petrus name, while Wareing got the premises and set about creating his own empire. 

Lauded: Meanwhile Gordon has a total of seven Michelin stars across his franchise of restaurants, and has become one of the nation’s most beloved TV chefs