The family of Gordon Ramsay's wife are understood to have held crisis meetings in the wake of allegations that he had an affair.

United front: Tana Ramsay yesterday

Tana Ramsay's mother and father, Chris and Greta Hutcheson, reportedly called a “council of war” yesterday at a restaurant near their Mayfair home.
Tana's brothers Adam, 38, and Luke, 31, were understood to have also been present to discuss what she and the family should do in light of the allegations. A source said: “Chris and Greta came in with their two boys.

Family summit: Greta and Chris Hutcheson

“They seemed pretty serious and weren't laughing and joking as usual. It seemed like a council of war to discuss what to do, as Chris is chief executive of Gordon's company and so has the right to firefight this crisis.”

Mr Hutcheson is responsible for the business operations of Ramsay's restaurant empire and owns a 31 per cent stake in Gordon Ramsay Holdings. He is understood to have a firm grip on the business and is known as the “Grim Reaper” for his ruthlessness.

Earlier, Mrs Hutcheson appeared at the door of her £2m home and defended her son-in-law by dismissing the claims. She said: “Gordon is a wonderful, sweet man. We hold him in the highest regard. He is a very dear member of our family.”

On Sunday, The News Of The World reported that the 41-year-old celebrity chef had been having a seven-year affair with Sarah Symonds, 38, the author of a handbook for mistresses.

It said they had sex at the Marriott Hotel off Grosvenor Square last week after Miss Symonds, who had travelled to London from her home in Wales, bought three bottles of legal sex drugs from a Soho shop.

Although the Ramsays, who have been married for 12 years, have neither commented on nor denied the allegations, the couple put on a united front outside their £3.5m Wandsworth home hours after the claims broke. But they, too, are believed to have held five hours of crisis talks. A friend close to the couple said of Tana, 33: “There is no question that she won't stand by Gordon.”