Antony Worrall Thompson restaurant fails following shoplifting case

Antony Worrall Thompson has seen a restaurant in his portfolio go bust, less than one week after he was arrested for shoplifting.

The celebrity chef was questioned and let off with a warning after stealing from a Henley-On-Thames Tesco five times in 16 days over December and January.

In an additional blow to the 60-year-old, a restaurant he part-owns in Oxfordshire named The Lamb has gone into administration following poor sales over Christmas.

The eatery was one of five restaurants owned by Worrall Thompson that went under during the recession in 2009, though he retained part-ownership when Chris Smith and Nick Gross took over in the same year.

"[We said] if we could open at the worst possible time, things could only get better," Smith told the Daily Mail. "[But] a slight fluctuation in average spend can be devastating. It is a thankless task being a publican and it is soul-destroying having an empty pub."

Worrall Thompson issued a public apology soon after his shoplifting was exposed, claiming that he would be seeking psychiatric help.

The ex-Ready Steady Cook star said he had been "under incredible stress" during the festive period.