Tilly Ramsay says she wants father Gordon to go on Strictly: ‘He needs to get on that dance floor’
Tilly Ramsay has revealed that she wants her father, Gordon Ramsay, to go on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing one season.
The former Strictly star, 20, said she has been trying to encourage her 55-year-old father to go on the show after she had the “best time of my life” last year.
“I keep explaining to him that he needs to get on that dance floor,” Tilly said. “Being on Strictly was the best time of my life and I think anyone who does it will find things out about themselves.
“It’s terrifying,” she added. “It’s so scary, and you’re so vulnerable, but it’s just one of the best things I’ve ever done.
“If I could persuade him to do it, I’d absolutely love to but maybe when he’s got a bit more time on his hands.”
Tilly will star alongside Gordon in a new three-part National Geographic series, Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted Showdown.
Speaking of what Gordon is like at home, Tilly said: “Lots of people think dad is a scary, shouty person because they’ve seen him like it on television.
“But really, as soon as you meet him or you’re in the same room as him, you realise he’s genuinely a massive softy – he’s like a teddy bear.
“All he wants to do is have fun and goof around. Yes, when he’s in the zone in a kitchen, he can be assertive and tell you what he needs done, but I guess that’s like everyone in the work space – he’s not how he comes across.”
The new series will see the chef face off against Tilly and fellow chefs in a series of cooking challenges in various locations. The series finale will see Gordon and Tilly, who presents her own cooking show, Matilda And The Ramsay Bunch on CBBC, try to win the local’s favour in Costa Rica.
Tilly added of her and her father’s competitive relationship: “It’s very genuine. We can be competitive over the smallest things. I think it’s because we’re so similar and we both love winning so much that it’s so super natural to have that against each other and it does cause good fun.
“Whenever we have a little competition against each other it always gets interesting. So it’s always a laugh with him.”
While Gordon may be known for being hot-tempered in the kitchen, Tilly says she is “good at walking away” from a situation that poses any sort of heat.
“The funny thing is that’s just dad in a kitchen situation in a working environment - he’s never ever going to be like that at home,” she explained.
Other episodes of the new series will see Gordon face off against chefs Paul Ainsworth and Matt Waldron. Gordon will go up against Ainsworth on England’s rugged Jurassic Coast and battle against Waldron in Wales.
Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted Showdown airs on National Geographic from 9 November at 8pm.
Additional reporting by PA
