Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has said he had to get his assistant to help him dress after a serious bike accident earlier this year.
The 57-year-old presenter and restaurant owner said he was “lucky to be here” after the cycling accident in Connecticut, in which his clothes were torn and his helmet was crushed.
In an interview with Men’s Health UK, whose magazine cover he stars on for October, Ramsay said: “I couldn’t even put my f******* socks and pants on.
“Justin [Mandel, his assistant], he used to dress me in the morning. I felt like a f****** 95-year-old man.
“Asking a 30-year-old kid to put my f****** underpants on was embarrassing.”
Ramsay, who fronts the Kitchen Nightmares programme, went on to say he was not willing to take a step back despite his professional and family commitments.
He added: “I could sit back, put my feet up, buy a boat and f*** off to the Caribbean, but I have no interest in that.
“I love the jeopardy, and I can do that because I’m fit. I can do that because I’ve got the drive.
“When I haven’t got the drive, then I’ll decide to hang up the hat.”
Following the accident in June, Ramsay said his helmet had “saved” his life and praised doctors at the Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, where he was treated.
In a video posted to social media at the time, he said: “Hey guys, it’s Gordon. I’d like to share a very important message with you all.
“You know how much I love cycling and triathlons and Ironman (races) etc and this week, unfortunately, I had a really bad accident and it really shook me and honestly I’m lucky to be here.
“Those incredible trauma surgeons, doctors, nurses in the hospitals looked after me this week, they were amazing but honestly, you’ve got to wear helmets.
“I don’t care how short the journey is. I don’t care… these helmets cost money, but they’re crucial, even with a kid’s short journey, they’ve got to wear a helmet now.
“I’m lucky to be standing here. I’m in pain. It’s been a brutal week. And I’m sort of getting through it.”
The full interview with Ramsay can be read on the Men’s Health website now, or in the new issue on sale from September 10.
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