A woman whose restaurant was savaged by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay on his TV show, is now living on benefits and homeless.

Sue Ray, who ran the Silsden restaurant Bonaparte's, the first to be featured on Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, said her life had hit rock bottom.

She is now on job seekers allowance and living with her sister after being left bankrupt and forced to sell up.

Last week, in the final blow, she lost her driving licence after being convicted of drink driving.

But she said today: "When you reach rock bottom it's a relief."

She claims she has needed counselling for depression following the business going bust and debts of £400,000.

She said she has been relying on friends and family to provide a roof over her head.

But now she hopes to start a new life skippering sailing boats, using skills she honed in crewing a trans-Atlantic trip with six other sailors.

Her misfortune began after Ramsay ridiculed her restaurant in Kirkgate, Silsden, in his first series in 2004. He claimed food in the fridge was contaminated and seafood rancid.

Customers left in droves and last year the 54-year-old closed the restaurant and declared herself bankrupt.

Miss Ray, who has a coastal skipper's licence, said she was now living off £56 a week jobseekers allowance and lodging with her sister.

Her latest set-back has been a drink driving conviction imposed by Skipton magistrates where she gave her address as New Street, Denholme.

She admitted using a pick-up truck and being over the limit in Keighley Road, Cross Hills, and was banned from driving for 12 months and fined £50 and ordered to pay £50 costs.

Miss Ray told the Telegraph & Argus: "I needed counselling. I was depressed feeling as though everything was on top of me, but I'm better now.

"There is only one way to get out of the doldrums and that is to find some focus.

"I now have to pick myself up and start again - Bonaparte's is yesterday."

When she appeared before the bench, John Mewies told the magistrates: "She has a number of problems all of which can be related to the downfall of her business in Silsden.

"She had a potentially thriving business as a restaurateur and bar owner but she was hoodwinked by a TV production company.

"The programme painted a totally unrealistic and distorted picture of her business and the result was utter chaos and total financial disaster. All her work and endeavour went down the pan."

Mr Mewies said that Ray was declared bankrupt at Bradford County Court in December.

"She attributed her financial ruin to the transmission of that programme," he added.

Miss Ray now hopes to find work either skippering or crewing yachts off the coast of Scotland or around the Greek islands, where she has sailed before.

She was for eight years secretary of the European Sailing Club based out of the Greek island of Meganissi.

And her experience also involved sailing the Atlantic to Antigua as one of a crew of six.

"I am an experienced sailor and have sailed with friends on their yachts. I'm now out of my depression and feel much better and I hope I can find some work.

"There is life after reality television for me and I hope I can turn it into something positive."

Miss Ray, who at one time ran a travel agency in Cross Hills, near Skipton, is also planning to write a book about her reality TV experience.

She still believes she was taken in by the TV show makers, claiming they convinced her their aim was to help her make the business more successful.

But even now she hopes to profit by her ruin by writing a book about her downfall and even producing a black comedy sketch.

A spokesman for the Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares show said the team did not wish to comment.