Heston Blumenthal refuses to watch huge hit TV show over health risk

Heston Blumenthal has said it is ‘too soon’ for him to tune into the hit series The Bear over fears it could be triggering.

The celebrity chef, 58, owns the three-Michelin-star restaurant the Fat Duck in Berkshire and has also appeared on TV shows including Kitchen Chemistry, Heston’s Feasts and on Top Chef and MasterChef Australia.

Earlier this year Heston also revealed he’d been diagnosed as bipolar after previously receiving a positive assessment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 2017.

He later recalled experiencing ‘true mania’ that led to his wife having him sectioned after he began suffering from insomnia and hallucinations.

Now Heston has said he has no plans to watch one of the biggest shows on TV over concerns its depictions of working in the hospitality industry.

The Bear stars Jeremy Allen White as Carmy Berzatto, an award-winning chef who returns to his hometown of Chicago to manage the chaotic kitchen at his deceased brother’s sandwich shop.

It’s been described as ‘incredibly intense’, ‘frantic’ and ‘immersive’, receiving praise from critics and fans alike and picking up 21 Emmy Awards across three seasons.

However, Heston believes it might be too much for him to watch.

‘There’s a couple of the big chefs that I know, friends of mine, who have been involved in the consulting of it, so it must be pretty accurate,’ he told BBC Newsnight’s Victoria Derbyshire.

‘I’m hoping that one day I’ll be able to watch it, just at the moment, it’s too soon.’

His wife Melanie Ceysson also added that he had not watched the show ‘because I think it is the biggest trigger for Heston’s condition’.

During the interview, Heston recalled working 120 hours per week for the first decade of his career ‘because I had no choice’.  

‘I was sleeping 20 hours in a whole week. The restaurant was young, and I was getting up at five o’clock in the morning, going into the kitchen, and then leaving at midnight,’ he shared.

‘It didn’t really expose itself, my bipolarity, when I was in the kitchen.’

However, Heston said his diagnosis was ‘not all doom and gloom’ and said it was ‘part of who I am’.

During an appearance on The One Show in July, Melanie explained how she became extremely worried after witnessing ‘extremes in behaviour’ before Heston was diagnosed.

‘These recurring highs to lows were getting strong and stronger and more regular. I was on a massive high and had been for several days. I was having hallucinations, feelings of paranoia and even suicidal thoughts,’ he added.

After feeling Heston was a ‘danger to himself’ Melanie made the ‘difficult decision’ to have him sectioned.

He went on to say she ‘saved my life’ and said he hoped by speaking about his experience he could help ‘change the way we see the condition and put it in the spotlight for all the right reasons’.