When you usually talk about Gordon Ramsay, the last thing on anyone's minds is the phrase "kind and sensitive person". Unless, of course, you're saying something like "I wish Gordon Ramsay was a kind and sensitive person". Those of you who know anything about Gordon Ramsay (or his various appearances on Hell's Kitchen, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and other social media) know that he's not exactly famed for his kind words.
If you're one of those masochists who needs some direct constructive criticism for your cooking, then Gordon Ramsay's your guy: he's got roasts for every undercooked risotto or poorly-presented pizza you could dream of, and even his daughter isn't spared a savage comment or too.
But contrary to popular belief, Gordon Ramsay has been rumoured to be - whisper it quietly - a nice person, once the cameras aren't rolling and once he logs off social media. He's got that reputation for being a savage, of course, but when he needs to - when he really needs to - he steps up for those who are in need of a bit of savagery.
Case in point - this young man who had a dream of going to culinary school, but found himself ruled out for reasons way beyond his control. 18-Year-old Louis Makepeace was looking forward to taking a place at Heart of Worcestershire College's hospitality and catering course, but his future was placed into jeopardy for a sad reason.
Makepeace lives with a condition known as achondroplasia, which is the most common form of dwarfism, and his application at the college was placed under review by staffed after he was deemed a "safety risk" because of his height.
“It was really upsetting as I had my heart set on this course,” revealed Makepeace, who was looking at his next step after completing a course at the college for performing arts. “We are supposed to have equality of opportunity yet I’m not allowed to do something I love doing.”
"All the time I was at school I was always very confident, I had lots of friends and my disability was never an issue. But how am I supposed to get by if this is how I’m treated – I feel like I have been excluded from the real world."
It was a tragic case, and Makepeace was beginning to lose hope. But then, Gordon Ramsay caught wind of Louis Makepeace's story. He's probably deep in the throes of preparing for his new show, Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, but the 51-year-old took the time to get involved.
He was tweeted a screenshot of Makepeace in the local paper having been denied that place for his size, and Gordon Ramsay took a dim view. But he did, however, offer the youngster an alternative solution. "Disgusting attitude, I’d offer him an Apprenticeship any day," replied Ramsay, and although it wasn't as sweary or memorable as some of his other quotes, but it could mean a lot more for young Louis Makepeace.
For their part in the incident, Heart of Worcestershire College have released a statement on Twitter revealing that Louis Makepeace's application is still under review. “We would like to state that at no point has Louis been told he could not attend his course but both Louis and Mrs. Makepeace have been informed that the adjustments Louis requires will need to be agreed before an unconditional offer can be given,” read the statement.
