He’s hailed father-in-law Gordon Ramsay as his inspiration and the man he ‘looks up to’.
And after spending a lot more time with the celebrity TV chef in recent months amid his fallout from his own family, Adam Ramsay-Peaty has picked up Gordon’s recognisable mannerisms.
‘There are moments when he is channeling his father-in-law so hard here that you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching a retro episode of Hell’s Kitchen,’ one body language expert told the Daily Mail.
In July, the athlete competed in the Commonwealth Games at Tollcross International Swimming Centre in Glasgow, where he was disappointed with his performance, as he failed to pick up a gold medal.
All eyes were on Adam as he appeared to blame the losses on the ‘s***’ he had been through this year, seemingly alluding to the estrangement from his parents Caroline and Mark.
‘It’s hard because I know how hard I’ve worked,’ he said in a post-race interview. ‘I know the s**t I’ve been through, which is no fault of my own. It does take a toll.’
Adam Peaty’s ‘hero worship’ of father-in-law Gordon Ramsay has led to copycat poses in a ‘desire to impress him and bond with him’
It is no secret that Adam looks up to Gordon, having previously told The Sunday Times: ‘He’s an incredible energy to be around and an incredible person to have that guidance from’
During his interviews with the BBC, Adam, 31, included some non-verbal ‘twinning’ with Gordon, 59.
In one clip, he says he ‘wants to get lost in being a husband and father’ with his pregnant wife Holly as they prepare to welcome a baby girl – words that Gordon would approve of.
Body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail: ‘His pose and his aura mirrored Gordon Ramsay. His chest and upper arms are posed in a way to look huge to show strength, and he folds his arms, tucking his hands into his torso in the signature style of the TV chef.
‘There’s a very similar style of rocking side to side from one foot to the other in a Ramsay look of high-energy tinged with frustration, and the way he looks away with a frown to think and reflect before shrugging suggests a similar alpha energy.
‘Adam runs his hand through his hair and scratches the back of his head here as though puzzled by his results and the swearing, the staccato delivery with the ‘uptalk’ rise of the vocal tone as he says ‘I just think I deserved more’ was also reminiscent of Gordon’s verbal and tonal delivery.’
Judi said that Adam’s behaviour in these interviews suggests that he is aspirational in terms of seeing Ramsay as his role model.
‘Babies learn body language through mimicry, but when we mimic as adults we often admire or even hero-worship the person we’re copying,’ she said.
‘Adam might see Ramsay as having the kind of strength and presence he admires. He might see him as a father figure, or he might have a desire to impress him and bond with him.’
After spending a lot more time with the celebrity TV chef in recent months amid his fallout from his own family, Adam has picked up Gordon’s recognisable mannerisms
Both have shown their emotions on live TV, with Adam crying in a recent interview at the Commonwealth Games, and Gordon shedding a tear in the audience at Strictly
Even the way Adam shows his wife, Holly Ramsay, affection in public, from a peck on the lips to rubbing her bump, was all actions Gordon did with his wife Tana
The mirroring started long before the Commonwealth Games, as Adam has often been seen posing for photos, typically on a red carpet or by a swimming pool, in the same powerful stance as Ramsay.
Even the way Adam shows his wife, Holly Ramsay, affection in public, from a peck on the lips to rubbing her bump, was all actions Gordon did with his wife Tana.
It is no secret that Adam looks up to Gordon, having previously told The Sunday Times: ‘He’s an incredible energy to be around and an incredible person to have that guidance from.’
In April, he also told BBC Breakfast: ‘[He’s] very inspiring. I think for him, it’s obviously a very different way of life in terms of the business he has to do and the businesses he has to run.
‘I take a lot of guidance. I look up to him a lot…’
It is also believed that the pair bonded when Adam’s older brother Jamie was arrested over allegations he sent aggressive threats to the Olympian during his stag weekend in November.
Gordon was said to be ‘incredibly supportive’ during this time, after going through similar issues with his own brother and with Tana’s father.
Ronald Ramsay was jailed for ten months in Bali, Indonesia, in September 2007 after police found 100 milligrams of heroin in his pocket.
Tana’s father Chris Hutcheson was sentenced to six months in prison in June 2017 after he orchestrated a plot to hack into the celebrity chef’s company computers during a family feud.
