Amanda Barrie, the 89-year-old former Coronation Street actress, has described Gordon Ramsay as "a vicious bully" in a new memoir, revisiting an on-air confrontation from the 2004 US edition of Hell's Kitchen that ended with Barrie striking the celebrity chef.
Barrie, who played Alma Baldwin on and off for two decades in the long-running soap, said in the book that the producers placed contenders in situations that allowed Ramsay to "insult and humiliate" them and that tensions built up before the televised incident. She left Hell's Kitchen soon after the exchange "by mutual agreement," the memoir states.
"We all knew the show was a vehicle for Gordon but not that he was going to take every opportunity to insult and humiliate us," Barrie writes, according to excerpts published alongside coverage of the memoir. The book, which was released Thursday, recounts the episode as the climax of a "long build up" of frustration on Barrie's part.
The 2004 appearance on Hell's Kitchen, the American reality competition hosted by Ramsay, included a tense exchange that culminated in Barrie striking Ramsay on camera. The incident received wide coverage at the time and prompted her departure from the programme. In the new account, Barrie characterises Ramsay's behaviour toward contestants as intentionally demeaning.
The memoir adds to a history of public accounts that have scrutinised Ramsay's television persona, which frequently features abrasive and confrontational interactions with contestants. The production style of competitive cooking shows has also been the focus of commentary about how editing and format can heighten conflict.
Ramsay has not issued a public response to Barrie's renewed allegations in the memoir. Representatives for Barrie did not immediately provide further comment beyond the book's published excerpts.
Barrie's recollection of the Hell's Kitchen episode arrives more than two decades after the event and follows a long career in British television and theatre. Her portrayal of Alma Baldwin in Coronation Street spanned multiple stints over roughly 20 years, and she remains a recognised figure in UK show business.
The memoir's publication on Thursday brings the Hell's Kitchen incident back into public discussion and underscores how contestants and participants in reality television sometimes reassess televised confrontations years after they occur. Barrie's account places the 2004 altercation in the wider context of her career and the pressures of participating in internationally broadcast reality programming.