Warning: This article contains images that some people may find distressing

Chef Gordon Ramsay has described feeling shaken after a “really bad” cycling accident in the US.

In a video posted to his social media, he lifted his chef’s whites to show substantial purple bruising on his torso for which he required hospital treatment.

Addressing the message to “all the dads out there” ahead of Father’s Day on Sunday, the star of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen stressed the importance of wearing a helmet.

“I don’t care how short the journey is,” he said, adding that the guidance becomes even more important when it comes to cycling with children – “they’ve got to wear a helmet”.

“I want to wish you all a happy Father’s Day, but please, please, please wear a helmet. If I didn’t, honestly, I wouldn’t be here now.”

On his Instagram, he also shared a before and after photograph showing substantial damage to his helmet.

The chef said the accident took place earlier this week in Connecticut.

The 57-year-old thanked the state’s Lawrence and Memorial Hospital’s trauma surgeons and nurses who looked after him.

He clarified that he did not “break any bones or suffer any major injuries” but was “a bit bruised up looking like a purple potato”.

“I’m in pain. It’s been a brutal week. And I’m sort of getting through it,” Ramsay added.