Sunday Brunch's Simon Rimmer says he was 'terrified' as family faced losing everything

Celebrity chef Simon Rimmer has candidly spoken about the time he nearly faced bankruptcy when his daughter was just a baby, confessing it was a "big, big, big mistake" to snap up a third eatery. The Sunday Brunch presenter disclosed on the Sliding Doors podcast how this move nearly cost his family their businesses and homes.

Rimmer recounted the harrowing ordeal as "the most terrifying and life-affirming moment in my entire life". He detailed: "The bank gave us an ultimatum - we basically had a sell-by date. If the restaurant didn't sell it would foreclose and we would lose Greens as well, which also had a second charge on our homes."

"It meant that we were theoretically on the brink of losing our businesses and our homes. I had a one year old daughter," according to the Express.

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He depicted the ordeal as "hideous, absolutely hideous."

He went on: "We completed on the sale two days before our end date for the bank. I remember going home and Ali was in the front room holding Flo."

"I remember bursting into tears and said 'I promise you that will never ever happen again' and it was the most terrifying and life-affirming moment in my entire life."

Simon initially launched his dining spot, Greens, back in 1990, and later opened Felix in 1994. The subsequent year, he was presented with the chance to buy a property in Fallowfield, Manchester.

The chef shared insights on the local area's gentrification but admitted that launching a third eatery was a "big, big, big mistake".

He disclosed: "We spent too much money on the fit out, and we were wrong about the location. We had a honeymoon period of the first couple of months, busy, great. What we were doing was decent."

"But Fallowfield didn't really ever take off, so we were quickly haemorrhaging money. The other two businesses were supporting the third one, then Felix had a little bit of a downturn because we were putting so much focus on the business that wasn't succeeding."

"We ran out of overdraft facility, we had big bank loans. My daughter Flo was one, my wife Ali had gone back to work, really hated going back to work as she wanted to be with Flo. We decided 'why don't you take time off and be a full-time mum' so I can work every hour God sends trying to coordinate childcare."

Simon is all set to co-host Sunday Brunch this morning (September 22) on Channel 4 alongside Tim Lovejoy. Gracing the show will be a line-up featuring comedian Ben Elton and Rosie Jones, actor Alexandra Armstrong, and model Vogue Williams.