Chef claims press coverage worse than jail sentence

CELEBRITY chef Antony Worrall Thompson said he would rather have gone to prison than endure the public fallout following his arrest for shoplifting.

The Ready Steady Cook star said he felt he had been put in the “modern day stocks” by some elements of the press, but had been overwhelmed by messages of support from thousands of well wishers.

The former I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! contestant was cautioned by police after he was caught stealing from a Tesco store in Oxfordshire while using a self-scanning till last Friday.

In his first TV interview since the incident, the 60-year-old told RTÉ’s Saturday Night Show: “I’m very embarrassed, very ashamed, I put my hands up to it, I did it, which is inexplicable.”

He added: “It’s something that I’ve got to get to the bottom of and I’m having counselling because it’s completely against the run of play, if you want.

“I reckon I’m usually a pretty good guy, I do a lot for charity, a lot of helping other people and I don’t know what on earth made me do that, it’s just extraordinary.”

Worrall Thompson said thousands of people had logged on to his website to give their support.

He contrasted that to his treatment by some sections of the media. “What I’ve suffered this week is worse than doing a prison sentence.” He said he did not think his actions warranted front-page coverage.

“There are people dying or being murdered and we are pushing them to the side of the page, is that really right?” he asked.

“I am prepared to take the flak, I deserve the flak, but I’m not sure I deserve what’s hit me this week.

He added: “There’s been good press, of course there’s been good press, [but] there’s been shocking press.”

He said while his restaurant business had hit money troubles in 2009, he had no concerns in that regard now. “I’ve no financial worries at all,” he said.