DESPERATE telly chef Gordon Ramsay’s entire career and business empire is hanging by a gossamer thread.  Only David Beckham can save his fortune and his reputation.

Gawd-awful Gordon’s father in law has dramatically quit the management of the holding company which runs the Ramsay restaurants allegedly owing it over £1m. Ramsay’s wife Tana is distraught, but is standing by her husband, as she did when Ramsay had the alleged affair  – though even that is now looking like it was a clever subterfuge to mask quite a different story (more of that another time).Gordon has brought in Dragons’ Den star Peter Jones to help stop his beleaguered restaurant empire turning to toast. But his master stroke will be a new business venture togethwer with football star David Beckham that is set to keep the cashflow coming in to service the mega-debts run up by Tana’s dad.

In an emotional meeting, he begged Jones to help rescue his sinking company which is a massive £17.8 million in debt.

Hell’s Kitchen star Ramsay, 43, made his sensational move after a week in which his family has been torn apart by the financial disaster.His devastated wife Tana, 36, has left the country to stay with their friends the Beckhams in America after Ramsay blamed her father Chris Hutcheson—his long-time business partner—for bringing his empire to the brink of collapse.

“Gordon is a TV star,” said the News of the World. “He’s not got any experience in building an empire. He’d left that to his father in law. Now he’s paying for his decision. The company’s a complete mess.”

The chef demanded that dad-in-law Hutcheson, 62—who became his mentor after he started dating Tana at 16—quit as chief executive of Gordon Ramsay Holdings last week as the pair’s relationship turned toxic.

Restaurants across the globe have flopped, been sold off or closed altogether as the business nosedived with millions in investments written off. A string of top staff also quit. Ramsay—-worth £50 million in 2008—quickly dropped off Britain’s Rich List.

Our insider said: “Gordon blames Chris for the state the company is in. There’s a chance they’ll never speak again.”

It has emerged that Hutcheson took legal loans from the business totaling nearly £1.5 million. Yet before he got involved with Ramsay’s business, he was temporarily banned from acting as a company director after running up a £900,000 tax bill in 2003.

“Tana is in bits about this. She had to cope with Gordon’s affair and now her dad has put the family under immense strain.” Tana certainly looked strained as she dined with Posh and Becks at a Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles on Friday night and made calls on her mobile.

The Beckhams are also planning to help in a high profile bid to rescue Gordon’s business reputation.

Former England ace David will team up with the chef to open a pie and mash shop in London. But it is Jones, 44, who is the key to Ramsay’s survival. The self-made businessman made his fortune after setting up his own business Phones International Group in 1998. By 2005 its turnover was £150 million.

The two held crisis talks at new London restaurant Tinello—doing well and not owned by Ramsay.

HOW Ramsay’s restaurant empire went downhill:

Royal Hospital Road: Turnover down 1.5%, net profits down 9.5%

Claridges:Turnover down 4.6%

Maze/Maze Grill:Turnover up 44.4%

Boxwood:Turnover down 16.6%

Petrus:Closed September 2008 (new Petrus since opened)

La Noisette: Trading ceased January 2009.

The Narrow:Net loss £134k.

Murano:Profit-making.

Plane Food:Profit-making.

Foxtrot Oscar:Loss-making.

Devonshire: “Not lived up to expectations”. Ceased trading August 2010.

York &Albany:”Revenues not been as envisaged”.

” Prague: Closed February 2009

Versailles: Closed February 2009.

New York: Ditched, no longer owned.

Florida: Ditched, no longer owned.

West Hollywood: Ditched, no longer owned.