Celebrities

Gordon Ramsay: The famously volatile TV chef reveals secret to keeping his empire up…

For most people, turning 50 would be time to finally take a moment to slow down. But Gordon Ramsay is no ordinary person, and his empire is only growing as he celebrates hitting the half century mark. The famous chef whose restaurants around the world have garnered 16 Michelin stars and became a household name thanks to his starring role as the foul-mouthed host of “Hell’s Kitchen,” Gordon’s also in charge of the long-running reality series “Masterchef” and its hit spin-off, “Masterchef Jr.” Ramsay will soon be adding a fourth FOX series on to his current roster of shows in 2017, “The F Word.”

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Ramsay seems to feed off his success instead of being burdened by it. While there have been numerous speedbumps both personally and professionally along the way — from tabloid news claiming he had an affair, to legal battles with former business partners, and his wife’s devastating miscarriage back in June — Screener has seen firsthand that his signature fiery energy has not been thwarted.

We had the gift of watching him in all his volatile glory filming the most recent season of “Masterchef,” and then got to see a softer and much more playful version of him during a live taping day of “Masterchef Jr.”

Ramsay’s not phoning it in. He shows up ready to work, he’s passionate about what he does, and — when he’s not filming — a surprisingly down-to-Earth human being. You’d never know this was a guy who counts David and Victoria Beckham as best friends, owns nine Ferraris, is an inductee of the Culinary Hall of Fame, or that last year, he raked in enough dough to come in at #21 on “Forbes’” Richest Celebrities list.

Without a trace of any diva tendencies, Ramsay was happy to sit down between takes and discuss how he manages it all. We were hoping he’d tell us about some magic pill, but his secret to doing it all is by keeping a stellar, very detailed calendar.

“My life is planned 18 months in advance,” he explains. “So I have a very strict diary that shows no flexibility. I get in the zone.” And it’s easy for him to get in that zone because Ramsay doesn’t see his work as tedious — he’s pursuing his passion: “I’ve never seen it as a job to be honest.”

In addition to receiving the honor of Officer to the Order of the British Empire for his culinary arts services, the British chef has been married to his wife Tana for 20 years, and together they have four children.

Their youngest daughter, who goes by the nickname Tilly, not only shares the same birthday as her famous Dad, Nov. 8, but the as-of-now 15-year-old has been following in her father’s footsteps. She has her own cooking show, now in its third season on CBBC, “Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch.”

The two celebrated their joint birthdays over the weekend together in Las Vegas.

While Ramsay says, “[My kids] are all into food, and all were into cooking from an early age,” they don’t all want to be professional chefs like him, and he’s more than okay with that.

What’s not okay? Doing nothing. “The only message I send all of them,” Ramsay says, “Is find your passion. Don’t rely on your Mom and Dad. Once you find your passion, that’s the beginning of an amazing journey.”