GORDON Ramsay has said he was so embarrassed by his failure to go pro with Rangers he left Scotland. 

Speaking to Frank Warren's Heavyweight podcast, the star TV chef told how he was jealous of his pals going on to play for the professional team and so decided to move to London. 

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He said it was "painful" seeing future Rangers heavyweights such as Ally McCoist and Derek Ferguson, whom he had played with as a youngest, go on to be regular first team players with the Light Blues. 

Ramsay was a promising footballer but his career was cut short before it got going after he damaged cartilage in his knee. 

The Johnstone-born TV chef said: "The doctor said 'this will naturally recover but forget playing football for a year'.

"In those days whether you are at Rangers, Celtic or Aberdeen there are six or seven other 18-year-olds that were ready to take your place so you weren't forgotten about, you were just cast aside.

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"I got pushed aside. I tried to come back again about six months later but I tore a ligament in my left knee.

"We were living in a tiny two-bedroom flat in Glasgow so there was no way we had Bupa or any private health insurance set up so you dusted yourself down.

"I was on my a**e, I was frustrated and I had sort of tampered with cooking and decided to go to London.

"I said I will give myself two or three years in London in order to get a great grounding and then I was desperate to get out.

"I wanted to leave the country because I was seeing my mates getting regular first-team calls ups, getting into that squad and breaking into the national Scottish side. It was becoming more painful.

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"I decided to learn as much as I could and get the hell out of the country and that way I could finally cut off from it and I did just that.

"At 23 I got my first job in Paris. The hurt from the football was still there but it wasn't as apparent."

Ramsay played in a testimonial match for Rangers against East Kilbride Thistle in 1985.

It was his only game for the club, according to Rangers.