Gordon Ramsay Admits He Has a 'Guilt Complex’ Over Brother's Heroin Addiction: 'That Could Have Been Me'

Gordon Ramsay opened up about the painful family history that still weighs heavily on him today.

In his new Netflix docuseries Being Gordon Ramsay, the 59-year-old celebrity chef spoke candidly about his younger brother Ronnie's decades-long battle with heroin addiction.

"I have a brother who's a heroin addict. We shared a bunk bed, he's 15 months younger than me, and he's been an addict for the last four decades,” Gordon revealed. "I've gone to h--- and back with him and so I have a guilt complex. That could have been me, it could have been switched."

He added: "I've been dealt the dysfunctional card."

The TV star reflected on how closely their lives began. Growing up, the brothers shared a bedroom as they moved frequently between council estates with their parents and sisters.

Gordon has previously described his father as a "violent alcoholic," and in the first episode of the series, he recalled having a "torrid relationship" with him.

"It's hard, isn't it, when someone's an alcoholic?" he said. "It's very hard to relate to that, because you're just... you're nervous. You're worried about, you know, hitting the end of the bottle and seeing that bottle of Bacardi disappear, because you know what happens at the end of that."

While Ronnie struggled with addiction, Gordon channeled his energy into escaping the instability of his upbringing.

Speaking on the "Big Fish" podcast in 2023, he explained that his difficult childhood pushed him to succeed without turning to substance abuse.

"Growing up in multiple s---holes, you get one's s--- together early. I just wanted to better myself and get out of a situation that was unfortunate. I had grown up on 15 council estates," he said.

Constantly relocating made it difficult to find stability. "There's always a nerve-wracking moment when you go to another school, another football club. Having to make mates again, sometimes twice in one year. That's incredibly disruptive," he shared. "I set out to change and give my family the security and everything that I had wished for at their age. I never expected that level of success, like any success it's worked for."

Despite building a culinary empire — and amassing an estimated fortune in the hundreds of millions — Gordon admitted that his brother's addiction remains a sobering reminder of how easily life could have turned out differently.

"The flipside to my success is my brother's addiction to heroin. It's bizarre, isn’t it?" he said. "You grow up on several council estates, you're sharing this tiny bedroom and you’re in bunk beds. You're so close as brothers, we're 14 months apart so much has changed dramatically."

He added: "I have that reminder on a daily basis how different it could have been if I'd gone down a different road and felt the country owed me something rather than fighting for something."

Gordon also credited his mother, a former nurse who worked multiple jobs, as his greatest inspiration.

"The first ambition when I got successful was to give mum her own house, her own garage and a car," he said. "It's a big thing for a son to look after their mum. She went to h--- and back to look after us."