Gordon Ramsay has claimed he was asked to do the ‘Great British Bake Off’.
The 50-year-old celebrity chef has revealed he was approached by bosses at Channel 4 after they snatched the baking series from the BBC last year but he turned down the offer because he didn’t want to be Mary Berry’s "sloppy seconds."
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, he said when asked if he’d ever tame his wild ways: "F**k, no! Tell me if I am, because I’ll get the f**k out of here. I’ll go back to Channel 4. They did ask me for ‘…Bake Off’, anyway.
"I’m not very good at sloppy seconds. I don’t want to be the male version of Mary Berry. I’m 30 years younger and more wrinkly than her anyway.
"I think [as] with ‘Top Gear’, we have an asset that is a crown jewel within a network. 14.5 million [viewers]: there will never be another cookery show with that number, ever again. For me, ‘…Bake Off’ is like the Queen: it’s something to be respected, listened to and cared for. Not sold off."
The 82-year-old baking legend walked away from the popular programme "out of loyalty" to the BBC just days after it was confirmed Channel 4 had taken over.
Producers were then tasked with the challenge of finding someone to replace Mary and work alongside Paul Hollywood – who agreed to stay with the show following an impressive lump sum – and, after months of searching, they secured Prue Leith.
Although the 77-year-old restaurateur was thrilled with her new role, she was forced to accept round the clock protection out of fear that she would be "trolled."
She said: "On the day that they announced who the line-up was, they wanted to send a close protection officer. My husband and a bunch of friends were going out to dinner to a really nice restaurant in London. I said, ‘Don’t be ridiculous, we absolutely do not need a copper standing there looking.’
"But they said, ‘No, no, no, we really must just to be on the safe side.’ What did they think is going to happen? I’m not likely to be trolled. This is a nice family show."
However, the ‘Great British Menu’ critic had no other choice but to accept the security measures after she noticed the protection team had ignored her refusal and had already pitched up outside her Cotswolds home.
The ‘Great British Bake Off’ will return to screens later this year with Paul and Prue as the judges and Noel Fielding and Sandi Tosvig – who have replaced loveable presenting duo Mel and Sue – as the new hosts.
Gordon Ramsay snubbed GBBO
