Daytime TV chef Rustie Lee, who rose to fame in the ’80s, files for bankruptcy after lawyers spent almost ten years hounding her over a £75,000 debt.
- Rustie Lee, 73, is known for being a pioneer of Caribbean cuisine in the UK.
- A regular on daytime television shows, he became a household name in the 1980s.
TV chef Rustie Lee, known for being a pioneer of Caribbean cuisine in the UK, has filed for bankruptcy after lawyers spent almost ten years chasing her over a debt of more than £75,000.
The 73-year-old TV-am star withdrew money from a business she ran with her husband shortly before it went bankrupt in 2013.
A legal demand for £75,750 was made of Lee and proceedings were commenced against him, Sun reports.
They wrapped up last month at Brighton Crown Court and the Birmingham-bred chef went bankrupt.
Her husband, Andreas Hohmann, is reportedly facing prosecution for a similar amount.
TV chef Rustie Lee, known for being a pioneer of Caribbean cuisine in the UK, has filed for bankruptcy after lawyers spent almost ten years chasing her over a debt of more than £75,000.
A source told The Sun: “His assets can be sold to raise money, but we are led to believe he has none.”
As a regular guest on daytime television shows such as This Morning and ITV’s Loose Women, Rustie first became a household name in the 1980s.
As a child, she came from Jamaica to live with her parents in Birmingham and worked in her family’s Caribbean bakery growing up.
He then honed his craft at a culinary college before establishing his restaurant, Rustie’s, in Handworth.
The silver-service Caribbean restaurant, which hosted the likes of Muhammed Ali, helped the chef catch the eye of BBC producers.
He first hit UK screens at Pebble Mill at One before moving to TV-am where he made a name for himself in the kitchen.

Lee’s infectious laugh also helped her get booked to host the Saturday night primetime show Game for a Laugh. Pictured with (left to right) Jeremy Beadle, Martin Daniels and Lee Peck
Her infectious laugh also helped her get booked to host the Saturday night primetime show, Game for a Laugh.
Since then, she has been on a number of celebrity reality shows, including the popular flies-on-the-wall documentary Real Marigold Hotel with seven other celebrities in 2017.
She has also made multiple appearances on our screens on shows like Good Morning Britain and Loose Women, but her money issues have not been revealed so far.
Lee was contacted for comment.