Thirteen years after making derogatory comments to A Current Affair Host Tracy Grimshaw, Gordon Ramsay has been welcomed back to Channel Nine.
WATCH: Tracy Grimshaw announces she’s leaving A Current Affair
The celebrity chef, who famously spurned a war of words between himself and the veteran journalist, is set to return for a new series on Nine called Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars, which sees himself and business mogul Janine Allis mentor and guide competing teams into bringing their most exciting and innovating new food ideas.
The drama between the pair first kicked off back in 2009 during Gordon’s interview with Tracy, during which the chef’s publicist asked Tracy to refrain from asking questions about his turbulent personal life.
During the tense interview, Gordon commented about a mole on the face of the esteemed journalist, Gordon compared it to “f–king Mount Etna”.
He went on to describe the ACA host as a “lesbian” before he likened an image of her to Miss Piggy, from the Muppets, during an appearance at Melbourne Good Food and Wine Show, adding, “That’s Tracy Grimshaw.”
Tracy hit back, branding him a “bully”, before issuing a statement on her show following the fall-out.
“Gordon Ramsay made me promise not to ask on Friday about his private life,” she said at the time.
“He then got on stage on Saturday and made some very clear and uninformed insinuations about mine. He says it’s a joke, well not to me or anyone who cares about me.”
Following the statement, Ramsay told 7News in Melbourne, “I’m completely mortified, it’s been blown out of context. It’s obvious she’s done it for ratings.”
He added that he had “all the tapes, I didn’t mention the word ‘lesbian’ once,” before insisting his publicist was great friends with Tracy.
Earlier this month, Tracy Grimshaw made the shock announcement that she would be exiting A Current Affair after nearly two decades.
The veteran journalist, who has been presenting the show for more than 17 years, made the surprise announcement as ACA which aired on Monday night.
“Normally right about now we’d be telling you what to expect tomorrow night but lately I’ve personally been thinking longer term, and I have some news that I wanted you to hear from me before you hear it from anyone else,” she said.
“I’ve decided to finish up with A Current Affair this year. It’s been a big decision and before the gossip websites start telling you rubbish, I want you to know it’s been my decision alone and I’m not being shoved out the door by the boys club because I’m too old.”
“I’m not too old, I’m just a bit tired. And for the record, both the boys and the girls have asked me to stay.”
She finished by thanking her longtime audience and fans of ACA, saying “Thank you for your loyalty. I hope I’ve repaid it.”
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