CELEBRITY chef Russell Norman hanged himself in his garden after a drunken row, an inquest heard.
The award-winning chef and restaurant owner was found on November 18 last year in the garden of his home in Kent and rushed to hospital.
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Russell Norman died in November aged 57 Credit: Getty
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Russell with girlfriend Dr. Genevieve Verdigel
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Russell presented The Restaurant Man on BBC2
The 57-year-old, who appeared regularly on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and presented The Restaurant Man, suffered severe brain damage.
Despite the doctors’ attempts to save him, he died five days later in the hospital surrounded by family and friends.
The investigation revealed that he had twice the amount of alcohol in his system than the legal limit for driving under the influence of alcohol, and the conclusion of suicide by hanging was recorded.
An inquest at Oakwood House, Maidstone, heard on Friday that he had gone into the garden of his home in Pluckley after arguing with girlfriend Dr Genevieve Verdigel.
In a statement read by coroner Katrina Hepburn, Dr Verdigel, an art historian, said she later discovered Mr Norman lying unconscious in the garden.
She said: “I ran inside to call 999.
“I was trying to do CPR. I was screaming and people from the neighborhood were coming.”
During resuscitation attempts, a pulse was detected and paramedics rushed Mr Norman to the William Harvey Hospital in nearby Ashford.
However, doctors discovered he had suffered brain damage and put him on life-long care.
He died five days later in the hospital, on November 23.
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His inquest found that he had exhibited “suicidal tendencies” prior to his death.
Norman’s cause of death was given as brain injury caused by hanging and Mrs Hepburn recorded a verdict of suicide.
After the investigation, Dr. Verdigel shared a picture of her and Mr. Norman on Instagram.
In addition, she wrote: “To go into a soliloquy about what Russell meant to me, what kind of character he was or what I learned from him, would be banal.
“These words have already been spoken, written and published by others. I will not talk about the torture I went through at the hands of beasts; those who need to know already know. And I have no intention of adding words to that noise.
“When it’s all said and done, what you realize is that the most important words are the ones that remain, and will remain, a conversation between two people that the rest of the world will never be privy to.
“And, at the end of the day, isn’t that the most important thing about the spoken word… it can never be imitated or replicated. It’s a moment in time. And once it’s gone, it’s gone. Like a candle, uprooted in a puff of smoke . Yet the smoking tendrils remain.”
Norman’s unexpected death prompted an outpouring of tributes, with former Saturday Kitchen host James Martin hailing him as a ‘giant’ in the restaurant world.
Mr. Norman was known for pioneering the ‘small plates’ and no-reservations movement in his restaurants, most notably the popular Italian restaurants Polpo and Brutto in London.
His first book, Polpo: a Venetian Cookbook (of Sorts), won the Waterstones Book of the Year in 2012, and four years later, his second book, SPUNTINO – Comfort Food (New York Style), won the Food Writers’ Guild Award in 2016. Award for the best book about food and travel.
You are not alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It does not discriminate, it touches the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and football players.
It is the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, deadlier than cancer and traffic accidents.
And men are three times more likely to take their own lives than women.
Yet it’s rarely talked about, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage if we don’t all stop and pay attention now.
That’s why The Sun launched the You Are Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all help save lives.
Let’s all pledge to ask for help when we need it, and listen to others… You are not alone.
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He was later awarded his own BBC2 documentary series The Restaurant Man, in which he advised aspiring restaurateurs who had packed up their day jobs to follow their dreams of opening a restaurant.
After his death, former Saturday Kitchen host James Martin, 51, paid tribute to Norman in a post on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “Just heard the news that today we lost a giant and legend in the restaurant world, Russell Norman, who was and always will be an inspiration to many.”
Stefan Chomka, editor of Restaurant magazine, added: “He loved restaurants that were like him – that had a lot of charm and great character.
“He had a real sense of hospitality, as well as joy, intelligence, generosity and an eye for detail.
“He had a magpie tendency: he would take inspiration from restaurants in Italy, New York and London and put them all together.”
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