Editor 's note : A renowned chef and restaurateur , Scottish-born Gordon Ramsay is perhaps best known in the United States for his television show `` Hell 's Kitchen . '' He writes here about witnessing domestic abuse as a child and what he 's doing now to make sure others do n't witness the same . He will appear on `` Larry King Live '' tonight at 9 ET . Chef Gordon Ramsay writes of seeing his father abuse his mother ; today Ramsay fights domestic abuse . LOS ANGELES , California ( CNN ) -- No child should ever have to live in fear in their own home . A home should be a place where you feel safe and loved ; when I was a kid , our home was anything but that . Growing up , my father was less than a perfect role model . I watched how he battled alcoholism and how he became terribly violent with my mum , to the point where she feared for her life . Every time he got violent , any present that my brother , sisters , or I had given mum would be smashed , simply because he knew it belonged to her . There were instances when the police were called to take him away ; mum was taken to the hospital while we kids were taken to a children 's home . As kids , my brother , sisters and I moved around to more homes and schools than I can remember . Dad would often have a fallout with someone at work and get fired , and because our home often came with his job , we would become homeless and have to move again . To this day , I will never understand why mum stayed with him . She deserved so much better and so much more ; it still pains me to remember how badly he treated her . I have four young children of my own , and I could never see myself behaving the way my father did when I was a child . I want to be a role model for my children and have them look up to me . With that said , my wife , Tana , and I are proud to be ambassadors of Women 's Aid , a national charity in England working to end domestic violence against women and children . Women 's Aid helps more than 320,000 women and children every year . It also supports more than 500 domestic and sexual violence services across England . Domestic violence is not identified solely by violent physical abuse ; instead , it is defined as physical , sexual , psychological , financial , or emotional violence that takes place in a relationship , intimate or family-oriented . Eventually , this develops into a pattern of coercive and controlling behavior . The statistics are staggering : 1 in 4 women in the UK experience domestic violence in their lifetime , and between 6-10 percent of women suffer from domestic violence in a given year . The problem is , less than half of these incidents are reported to the police . And even still , a phone call is made to the police every single minute in the UK to report a case of domestic violence . That means police receive an estimated 1,300 calls each day and more than 570,000 each year , according to Women 's Aid . I encourage everyone to help take a stand against domestic violence . My wife , Tana , and I ran the London Marathon for Women 's Aid for the past two years . As ambassadors , we are pleased to say that we have received more than £5,000 in donations from friends , well-wishers and supporters of the charity . Just last week , Tana and I hosted a fundraising dinner and auction for Women 's Aid in Berkeley Square in London , which helped raise more than £475,000 , more than double our original target for the evening . My father passed away in 1997 after a long battle with alcoholism . These days , my mum is still my biggest supporter -- she remains there by my side through everything , and for that , I am forever grateful . E-mail to a friend .
Gordon Ramsay says his father battled alcohol and abused Ramsay 's mom . Ramsay says 1 in 4 women in the UK experience domestic violence . He tries to fight the problem by speaking out and raising money .