A restaurant boss whose eatery closed after it was savaged by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is selling up to bring a new lease of life to the business.

Sue Ray closed Bonaparte's Restaurant in Silsden soon after it was criticised in Channel Four's Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares in April last year.

The programme showed Ramsay being sick after eating scallops cooked by chef Tim Gray -- who no longer works at the establishment. After that bookings fell dramatically, and according to Ms Ray she was prescribed with anti-depressants after enduring scores of cancellations, hoax calls and hate-mail.

But despite the closure of the restaurant the 53-year-old continued to run the bar.

Annie Brown, of Fleurets -- the chartered surveyors dealing with the sale -- said the licensed premises, four residential units and the neighbouring Hair Design Centre building, on Kirkgate, had been put on the market over the Christmas period.

The leases for Bonaparte's and the Hair Design Centre, however, were not for sale.

Ms Ray said: "The businesses are very much staying as they are, it's just the free-hold that's for sale."

She said the property was being sold to recoup her losses and clear debts which were in excess of £400,000 after the public roasting from Ramsay.

Ms Ray hopes the sale of the building will enable her to reopen the restaurant side of the business.

She said: "I've let the restaurant die for a bit, but once a sale goes through I plan to reinvest and give it a new lease of life.

"Ramsay has not done me any favours but I am positive in spite of the negative press, and I hope to cash in on it. Now is the time to cash in on the restaurant's notoriety."

According to Fleurets the property has already attracted a great level of interest from potential buyers. At a cost of £450,000 the building has a potential combined rent of £40,000 per year.

Bonaparte's opened to the Silsden public in November 2002.

Early last year Gordon Ramsay and his show were called in to the failing restaurant in a bid to get it back on the culinary map.

But Ms Ray claims she was not told the name of the programme or shown a preview, and was deeply upset when it was screened.

She has threatened legal action against Channel Four, production company Optomen Television and Ramsay himself.

The news of the sale comes as Channel 4 announced a second series of the successful show.