First started drinking in his 40s
Marco Pierre White did not drink alcohol until his 40s; he attributes the start of his drinking to giving up professional cooking.
Snapshot · The Louis Theroux Podcast
S8 EP2: Marco Pierre White discusses his rift with Gordon Ramsay, retiring from cooking, and having lunch with Margaret Thatcher
Explore episode
Jun 15, 2026
Where this was said
The Rock Star Chef: Celebrity, PR, and the Creation of a New Archetype
At 37:05 · chapter starts 36:20
In the late 1980s, as Harvey's climbed toward its third Michelin star, Marco was simultaneously becoming a tabloid figure — his rock-star looks, volatile reputation, and high-profile relationships making him catnip for newspapers. PR agent Alan Crompton-Batt saw the opportunity first, and brought in photographer Bob Carlos Clark whose iconic images — Marco with sharp knives, looking vaguely murderous, lurking before doorways — defined an era. Marco gives full credit: it was Crompton-Batt and Bob Carlos Clark who created the celebrity chef as a cultural type. Marco was their muse. But the suppression by the culinary hierarchy was real too — established French chefs who had spent their careers without a fraction of Marco's press coverage began to push back as his fame eclipsed theirs.
Defending Stars is Boring
Winning one star is thrilling. Two stars — more exciting still. Three stars — extraordinary. But then you spend the next years playing defence, cooking to protect rather than to create. Marco calls it 'cooking by numbers' — and it bored him into retirement.
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