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Hell's Kitchen: Lee quit after 'pikey' slur

Friday 7th September

Ex-Blue singer Lee Ryan walked out of Hell's Kitchen after confronting head chef Marco Pierre White over his use of the word 'pikey'.

The former Blue singer took offence at Marco's use of the term 'Pikey's picnic' and chose to address the issue with the bad-tempered chef.

When Lee politely asked Marco if he would mind not to use the 'derogatory' word again, the chef said: "Now you have challenged me, be very careful."

After their heated discussion, it was actually Marco who decided that Lee would not be returning to kitchen saying: "I can't work with someone like that."

Following his shock departure, Ryan said: "I'm not saying Marco's a racist person, I'm just saying maybe he didn't understand what he was saying."

Ryan's fellow celeb chefs were devastated by his decision to walk out.

Presenter and Big Brother 2 winner Brian Dowling said: "I thought he'd win, I thought he'd do really, really well."

That sounds reasonable. I would have had a problem with it too, especially when no apology was forthcoming.

What's with this show hiring psychos to head chef? First Gordon Ramsay, and now this guy. I don't think the producers will be happy till somebody freaks out and attacks the head chef... lots of sharp objects in a kitchen...

Good on him.

How on earth did he get away with it?

On big brother someone was thrown off the show for saying the N word about black people.

So how is this not considered as racist! :-5

I'll bet you they just set it up to get some action in there and increase their ratings. They probably hired that chef knowing he'd be a hotbed of trouble. Just like they do on The Real World with their token hothead.

I assume this is a variant of Ramsay's show currently running in the US? (Is it more accurate to say ours is a variant of yours? Which came first?) I watch Hell's Kitchen faithfully but prefer Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.

Havn't actually watched this ....just caught a few minutes the other day.

That guy is not behaving normally.....he is a characature........playing up for the cameras..........and he doesn't do it as easily as Ramsay.

Bring back Ramsay I say