Jamie Oliver breaks down in tears as he returns to empty restaurant following collapse
22 August 2019, 11:12
Channel 4 viewers were left emotional last night as they watched Jamie Olivier revisit the first restaurant he ever opened.
Channel 4’s Jamie Oliver: The Naked Chef Bares All saw Davina McCall and Jamie Oliver take a trip down memory lane, as they explored the chef’s career highs and lows.
During the episode, Jamie, 44, and Davina revisited one of his abandoned restaurants following the collapse of the chain.
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In the emotional scenes, Jamie walked around the restaurant – which was the first he ever opened – with Davina, recounting fond memories.
The restaurant was deserted, and the kitchen left empty as if the chefs had disappeared.
Walking in, Jamie said: “It’s like the films where the bomb goes off and everyone has to leave, and everything is just left.”
Later, the chef started to break down in tears as he told Davina: “My god. It’s tough.”
He went on to say through misty eyes: “I’ve been so stressed, I’ve been – so it’s gone.”
Talking about the collapse, Jamie told Davina: “The staff got paid up to the date and I made sure of that.
“The hardest part was telling staff that they haven’t got a job anymore.”
He went on to add: “To survive in this industry is tough. I was very naïve.
“I was good at running one restaurant. I opened lots of big restaurants and people like small restaurants and we sort of has these big cathedrals we couldn’t fill.”
