Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has told a court he felt like a "performing monkey" as he built up his restaurant empire while his father-in-law was "up to no good" in the office.
The Gordon's Kitchen Nightmares star was being cross-examined about e-mails in which he expressed unhappiness about what was going on while Christopher Hutcheson was managing his business.
It came during a case at London's High Court in which Ramsay is accusing his father-in-law of using a ghost writer machine to "forge" his signature and make him personally liable for the £640,000-a-year annual rental on the historic York & Albany pub near Regent's Park.
The pub's owner, film director Gary Love, has described Ramsay's allegation as an "absurd" attempt to wriggle out of his rental commitments.
Romie Tager QC, appearing for Mr Love, suggested to Ramsay: "You were complaining about him.
"You thought of him as treating you like a performing donkey - making you overwork away from the office while he was up to no good in the office."
Ramsay said: "Yes", then added he had in fact felt like a "performing monkey".
In order to clarify, Chancery Division judge Mr Justice Morgan, suggested to him his complaint was: "You were doing the donkey work.
"You were out there working day in, day out while (Mr Hutcheson) had a cushy number at the office where he was able to abstract personal funds for personal gain.
"I am not saying this is true, but this is what you are saying."
Ramsay agreed with the judge.
The chef is asking a judge to grant a declaration the rental guarantee is not binding because his signature was used without his knowledge and authorisation when the 25-year lease was signed in 2007.
Mr Hutcheson acted as business manager for the Ramsay group of companies until the chef sacked him.
Yesterday, Ramsay faced accusations he did know a ghost writer capable of reproducing his signature had been used to sign documents including the pub's rental guarantee.
Mr Tager suggested: "You knew all along about this."
Ramsay told the judge: "That is not true, my lord."
He also denied an accusation that he was trying to get out of the lease because it was "losing millions".
Ramsay said he was Mr Hutchison's "son-in-law, and what he says goes".
Ramsay said: "I didn't have a father figure. My own passed when he was 53. I don't have go-to support. Did his other sons work as hard as I did? Of course not. Were they feeding from the table? Of course they were."
The case continues.
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