Wednesday, 3 September 2008

In bed with… Antony Worrall Thompson

The 57-year-old chef, who lives with his third wife Jay and their 2 children, talks to NowOnline about love, romance and the perfect aphrodisiac

Antony Worrall Thompson started using Splenda after discovering he has pre-diabetes illness Syndrome X

How is your bedroom decorated?
It’s cream with thick purple velvet curtains and views over a pond. We have a huge 7ft sleigh bed, which is great if you’ve had a row because you can keep well away from each other!

What keeps you awake at night?
Normally I sleep like a baby, I’m not one to lay there worrying.

WWhich 4 celebs would you like to invite for a sleepover?
Am I involving the wife in this? My first choice is Jodie Foster. She’s not beautiful but she’s interesting; she’s very bright and has a sexiness about her. I’d also invite Jack Nicholson because he’s completely barking and will create waves, Angelina Jolie as she’s gorgeous with curves in the right places and Kate Moss because she has the most beautiful face in the world. I know she’s been a naughty girl in the past, but that might add to the fun. I like people who are strong and bounce back.

Who was your first crush?
Goldie Hawn – she seemed very boyish and sexy and up for it. Actually, though, it could have been Lucille Ball, which shows my age!

Who’s your ideal woman?
If it wasn’t my wife, it would be – if I could convert her – Jodie Foster. Or if not, Sandra Bullock. I like a ballsy woman who looks like she’s got a bit of fight in her.

What’s the best chat-up line you’ve ever used?
I’ve used them in the past, but I don’t have any good ones. Things like: do you wanna be in the movies? Or you must tell me where you got that outfit from… starter lines. Women chat me up now. That’s the trouble with being on the telly, there are so many temptations. It doesn’t matter what you look like!

Would you ever date a fan?
No!

How would you describe yourself in a lonely hearts ad?
6ft 6in, straight nose, small waist and good sense of humour – and a downright liar.

Who would be your nightmare dinner date?
Gordon Ramsay. Our rivalry isn’t a show, we don’t get on at all. He put his foot in it a few years ago by saying he hated TV chefs, but what is he? If it was a woman it would be Edwina Currie. She’s very opinionated and has no taste. Fancy going out with someone as grey as John Major?

Do you believe in love at first sight?
No. Lust at first sight, definitely, but I think you have to get to know somebody. Having said that, when Jay when she first came to work for me my secretary noticed me looking at her and said: ‘You really like that girl, don’t you?’ and I said: ‘Yeah, I’m going to marry her.' We hadn’t even started going out. I just knew.

You know it’s love when…
After 14 years together you still get butterflies in your stomach when you see someone.

How did you propose to Jay?
I took her to Zimbabwe, to the Victoria Falls. I asked her to step over the barrier for a picture, not realising that the spray made it like a quagmire – she sank to her knees in mud! Then I asked her to marry me with the Falls crashing around us.

Describe your ideal night in…
Sitting by the river with a nice bottle of Cloudy Bay wine and a few snacks I’ve knocked together, watching the sun go down – finished off with a loving bonk!

Which is more enjoyable: food or sex?
[Laughs] I hum and hah at that question! The two together? I’ve acted out 9½ Weeks before and that works for me.

What would be on the menu for a romantic dinner for 2?
Everything you could feed each other. Oyster, lobster, asparagus, toffee banana… finger food. And food you can prepare ahead so you don’t have to jump up and down between courses!

Do you believe in aphrodisiacs?
I think aphrodisiacs are good. I’d say oysters are best, but it would make most
girls vomit if you tried to feed one to them.

What’s your guilty pleasure?
Sexually? [Laughs] I like crumpets – as in, the floury version! I like them with loads of peanut butter or honey. Or I do them with butter dripping through the bottom, topped with baked beans reduced down with butter and cream, crispy bacon and melted cheese. Gordon Ramsay eat your heart out, that’s real food!

When was the last time you said ‘I love you’?
This morning, to my wife. We say it 3 or 4 times a day. It’s important to always have a cuddle in bed and say how you feel.

What’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done/had done for you?
We went to a garden party at Buckingham Palace – no name dropping! – and on the way back passed Heathrow. Watching the planes going over, Jay said how much she wished she were jetting off somewhere. As luck would have it, my next turn was onto the M25 down to Gatwick. What she didn’t know was that I had our luggage in the boot and a holiday booked. I’d taken note of all her underwear and clothes sizes – what make-up products she used, perfume, toothpaste – and bought a whole new set of everything so she didn’t notice anything missing. I smuggled her passport out and put it all in a bag with a load of new outfits and took her to Florence. I like to surprise her sometimes.

Where would you spend a lost weekend?
Strawberry Hill in Jamaica. It’s a fantastic place in Irish Town, high up in the Blue Mountains, where sometimes the clouds are below you. It’s really remote and relaxing.

Would you ever pose naked?
I’ve done it 2 or 3 times and it’s always very embarrassing. I did the Full Monty for Children In Need, was a Cosmopolitan naked centrefold (I asked the make-up artist to spray a six-pack on my stomach) and I was on the cover of the Observer magazine with just a cabbage covering me. I’m not proud of my body but if you’re raising money for charity, I say go for it.

Love, fame or money?
Love. Always. If you don’t have money, as long as you love each other you’ll always make do. Money in itself is worth nothing. Fame doesn’t do it for me – you won’t find me at parties or premieres, I hate all that. I don’t see myself as famous. Fame is the Johnny Depps of the world, the Beckhams… I’m just very lucky to have a job I love doing.

Antony Worrall Thompson is working with Splenda to launch new Splenda Brown Sugar Blend. His new recipe book The Sweet Life (£11.99, Kyle Cathie Publishing) shows how you can create delicious pastries, cakes and desserts using Splenda in place of sugar. To order a copy, click here.