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Being Gordon Ramsay, a fresh six-part documentary series from Netflix, offers an unprecedented glimpse into the personal and professional world of the famed chef. Debuting on February 18, 2026, the series chronicles Ramsay’s daring endeavor to launch five unique dining venues within London’s 22 Bishopsgate. Simultaneously, it explores his efforts to juggle the complexities of his culinary empire with the responsibilities of family life, shared with his wife, Tana, and their six children. However, the series release has been shadowed by claims from Sarah Symonds, who alleges a long-term affair with Ramsay. But just who is Sarah Symonds? Here’s what you need to know.
Who is Sarah Symonds? She alleged that she had a multi-year affair with Gordon Ramsay
Netflix’s Being Gordon Ramsay invites enthusiasts of the celebrated chef into his life, providing a deeper understanding of his dynamic with wife Tana and their family, while offering a peek behind the scenes of the culinary industry.
Sarah Symonds, a British author hailing from Newport, South Wales, claims she engaged in a seven-year affair with Ramsay, an assertion he has consistently refuted. Symonds is known for her book Having an Affair?: A Handbook for the “Other Woman” and for hosting the show The Mistress between 2012 and 2015, aimed at helping women extricate themselves from relationships with married men.
Symonds states that the alleged affair with Ramsay commenced in 2001 and continued until 2008, during which time she claims Ramsay maintained a “double life.” The two purportedly crossed paths at Chinawhite in London in October 2001, shortly after Ramsay began his television career in earnest.
Publicly, Ramsay is said to have presented himself as a dedicated family man, while privately behaving as if he were unattached. Symonds has been vocal in her criticism of Ramsay’s new Netflix series, accusing Being Gordon Ramsay of “whitewashing” his past and offering a “misleading and disingenuous” portrayal of his life.
The chef allegedly portrayed himself as a devoted family man publicly while behaving as though he were single in private. Symonds has criticized Gordon’s new Netflix docuseries Being Gordon Ramsay, accusing it of “whitewashing” his past. She believes the docuseries presents a “misleading and disingenuous” portrayal of him.
“It’s misleading and disingenuous,” she told the Daily Mail regarding the docuseries. “A travesty in fact, as nothing about it was ‘Being Gordon’ at all.”
Symonds also claimed to have trauma from the alleged affair. “I am trying to heal, and then this appears everywhere,” she continued. “It makes me so angry.”
According to Symonds, “Gordon always acted like a single man” who was “always available.”
“He had the swagger and confidence of a man with no responsibilities, and the persona of a man who certainly wasn’t rushing home,” she alleged to the publication.
Symonds noted that she allegedly met up with Gordon in multiple cities, including London, Los Angeles, and Dubai. She also alleged that Gordon would tell her his relationship with his wife, Tana, was rocky.
Aside from the headlines tied to her allegations about Gordon Ramsay, Sarah Symonds has carved out an unusual niche for herself. She describes herself as an “infidelity and relationship expert.” Symonds authored Having an Affair? A Handbook for the Other Woman, a controversial self-help guide drawing on her own experiences as what the British press once labeled a “professional mistress.” And she has appeared on media platforms over the years discussing the dynamics of extramarital relationships.
Her work in the early 2010s included serving as a spokeswoman for the infidelity dating site Ashley Madison’s UK arm, according to The Standard. She openly talked about the “hypocrisy” surrounding adultery and encouraged women to confront or rethink such dynamics. Symonds also founded the Mistresses Anonymous support group aimed at helping women navigate and exit toxic relationships.
Gordon Ramsay has consistently denied having an affair
Gordon Ramsay has consistently denied any affair with Sarah Symonds. He dismissed her allegations as false and maintained that their interactions were minimal. Gordon has publicly insisted he has only met Symonds a handful of times and has rejected her long-standing claims of a seven-year relationship, once bluntly quipping at the BBC Good Food Show that if he had ever cheated, “it wouldn’t be with a complete slapper,” according to The Standard.
In the face of Symonds’s recent criticism of his Netflix series Being Gordon Ramsay as “fake” and “misleading,” the chef’s team has reiterated his stance that the affair never occurred. The documentary itself focuses heavily on his marriage to his wife, Tana, whom he credits as the “foundation” of his success, and on his role as a father to their six children. His denials date back to when the story first emerged in British tabloids in the late 2000s. He and Tana publicly reaffirmed their marriage by renewing their vows in response to the controversy.