Celebrity chef John Burton Race’s wife suddenly closed his Michelin-starred restaurant while he was appearing on ITV show I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!, it emerged today.
Kim, 42, whom he is in the process of divorcing, had shut the £1.2m New Angel in Devon – which she was running in his absence - and sacked the 20 staff.
The workers were given their P45s on Monday night and a notice was put on the door
“It is with deep regret that as of Tuesday 27th November 2007 the New Angel restaurant and rooms will cease trading. Please direct all inquiries to John Burton Race,” it stated.
On learning the news last night, the chef told The Times: “None of that is right. I didn’t know the restaurant was closed or that there was a note in the window. The decision to close the restaurant was not made by me. I have got nothing more to say.”
Burton Race left Kim, his wife of 11 years, a mother of six, for Suzie Ward, 40, and their three-year-old son in March.
A former employee said: “It is rubbish. We were told on Sunday that the restaurant would close just like that. They can’t do it. It is too short notice.”
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By Daniel Thomas
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