Chef Gordon Ramsay says bicycle helmet “saved his life” after serious accident

Chef Gordon Ramsay loves cycling and this weekend he loves his helmet even more.

For Father’s Day, the celebrated food magician called on every single cyclist – be they children, “young fathers, old fathers, middle-aged fathers” – to protect their heads.

“This week I had a really bad accident while riding my bike in Connecticut,” he wrote on Instagram, along with a video. “I’m OK and didn’t break any bones or sustain any major injuries, but I’m a little bruised and look like a purple potato.”

As he spoke, he lifted his white chef’s jacket to reveal a bright, eggplant-colored hematoma covering almost the entire left side of his torso. This was followed by snapshots of his “before and after” helmet, which was shattered in the accident.

“Honestly, you have to wear a helmet,” Ramsay said. “I don’t care how short the ride is. I don’t care that helmets cost money. Even children have to wear helmets.”

According to a 2015 National Institutes of Health study cited by New York-Presbyterian Hospital, wearing a helmet reduces the risk of head injury by 48%, severe head injury by 60%, traumatic brain injury by 53%, facial injury by 23%, and reduces the risk of death or injury by 34%.