Music mogul Simon Cowell persuaded British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey to undergo cosmetic surgery - insisting the cook's wrinkled face would hinder his career in America.

Ramsay owns restaurants in New York and Los Angeles and launched into TV in the U.S. with shows including Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares.

But the 42 year old admits he went under the knife after appearing on the small screen Stateside following advice from his pal Cowell. He tells Britain's Radio Times, "My mother said they were smile lines. I could deal with that at 21 but not at 42. Simon Cowell suggested that now I'm a success in America, I should do something, so I had a filler put under the deep crevices. It hurt." (LR/WNWC/PAW)

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