Gordon Ramsay and other celebs who had serious cycling accidents
From Simon Cowell and Dan Walker to Wee Jimmy Krankie, celebrity biking accidents are on the rise.
Gordon Ramsay has said he is "lucky to be alive" after being involved in a cycling accident in Connecticut.
The celebrity chef and father-of-six urged his 17.5m Instagram followers to "WEAR A HELMET!" as he shared on social media that he had been treated in hospital and was "lucky to be here" after the "bad accident".
The 57-year-old TV presenter shared a video of his torso covered in a deep purple bruise admitted he was "in pain" and that it had been a "brutal week". The keen cyclist also shared a before and after picture of his cycling helmet, which was left cracked and broken at the front, and which he credits with saving his life.
Ramsay is not the first celebrity to have narrowly escaped death after being involved in a cycling accident.
Cycling has become increasingly popular in recent years with bike sales rising, and the number of cyclists on the road also rocketing as people adopt the transport method that is good for their health and the environment. But with the rise in cyclists comes a corresponding increase in cycling accidents on the roads. Government figures between 2004 and 2022 showed serious injuries incurred by cyclists had increased by 21 per cent.
So it should come as no surprise that some of those injured while riding their bikes should be famous people. Here are some of the celebrities unfortunate enough to join TV cook Ramsay in being injured while cycling.
Simon Cowell
Britain’s Got Talent judge Simon Cowell was was seriously injured falling off an electric bicycle in August 2020. The 64-year-old music producer required emergency surgery after breaking his back in the fall, which happened while trying out a new electric bike at his Malibu home with his family.
Cowell tweeted after the fall: “Some good advice... If you buy an electric trail bike, read the manual before you ride it for the first time. I have broken part of my back. Thank you to everyone for your kind messages. And a massive thank you to all the nurses and doctors. Some of the nicest people I have ever met. Stay safe everyone. Simon.”
The X Factor judge was in surgery for six hours and had a metal rod put in his spine. He took time away from the spotlight to recover from his injuries and had to learn to walk again. He revealed afterwards that he became depressed during this time. But he revealed the outcome could have been a lot worse and he was lucky to have survived.
Cowell went on to break his arm in another cycling accident in 2022.
Dan Walker
Former BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker is a keen cyclist and often rides his bike to work and Channel 5 News. The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant suffered minor injuries after he was hit by a car in February 2023.
Walker revealed the crash left him bruised with a swollen nose and upper lip and said his helmet saved his live. The newsreader said it was amazing that he had broken no bones, but was left unable to eat solid food or use his left hand while he recovered, and was forced to sip soup through a straw.
Claude Littner
The Apprentice star Claude Littner was forced to step down as advisor to Lord Sugar on the BBC show after being seriously injured in an bicycle accident in 2021. The 75-year-old businessman was riding an electric bike about a mile away from his London home when he fell and was flung across the street. The gravity of his injury was immediately obvious as he could see the bone sticking out of his leg.
Littner said: "I suspect I hit a pothole or something like that, but I must have blanked out at the moment of impact, because the next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground." The Apprentice star had to learn to to walk again after injuring his right leg so badly doctors initially thought they may have to amputate, and he underwent multiple operations.
Littner returned to the show in 2022 to help with the interviews stage of the competition but has been permanently replaced by original Apprentice winner Tim Campbell as Lord Sugar's regular advisor.
Sir Richard Branson
Virgin billionaire Richard Branson revealed in February 2024 he had been injured in a cycling accident in the British Virgin Islands. Branson, 73, said he believed he had hit a pothole, which has caused him to be thrown from his bicycle.
The businessman was left with a hematoma on his hip and a cut to his elbow, saying: "I'm counting myself very lucky, and thankful for keeping myself active and healthy. After all, the brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all!"
James Cracknell
Olympic rower James Cracknell, who competed in Strictly Come Dancing in 2019, was hit by a lorry while cycling in Arizona in 2010. He suffered a fractured skull, causing a brain injury which dramatically altered his personality, affecting his temperament, memory and concentration and also left him suffering from epilepsy. Cracknell has since admitted that the personality-altering brain injury caused the end of his 17 year marriage.
Cracknell was also involved in a more minor bike crash in August 2019, ahead of his appearance on Strictly. The athlete revealed on social media platform X he had been in a collision with a minicab which left him with a broken finger and a grazed back.
Wee Jimmy Krankie
The Krankies star Janette Tough is famous for playing Wee Jimmy Krankie. In November 2020, she fell from her bicycle and underwent emergency surgery to her arm, requiring 18 stitches. The 77-year-old Scottish comedian - who lives with husband Ian Krankie - swerved to avoid a pedestrian while cycling near her Australian holiday home. She said: “I dread to think what would have happened if I’d landed on my head.”
Jeremy Vine
Jeremy Vine was treated in hospital in 2022 after falling from his Penny Farthing and landing on his head. Vine fell while riding on grass, flipping him a long distance and leaving him unconscious. The presenter was given a brain and spine scan but escaped with just a black eye.
The TV presenter is an avid cyclist and uses his public platform to promote cycling safety. The 59-year-old BBC Radio 2 DJ often shares videos on social media calling out drivers for their treatment of cyclists on the road. In 2021 he caused such uproar on social media when he posted a video of a group of cyclists riding four abreast.
Read more: Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay 'lucky' to be alive following serious bicycle accident(Fox News, 2 min read)
Gordon Ramsay Has Bicycle Accident, Tells Fans An Important Reason He’s Still Here (Deadline, 1 min read)
Chef Gordon Ramsay reveals shocking bruise after cycling accident (CBS News, 2 min read)
