TV chef Gino D'Acampo has reached out to ITV amid new claims of 'crude' behaviour surfacing this weekend. The culinary chef, known for his appearances on 'This Morning' and as a winner on 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!', reportedly harbours deep concerns about the distress these allegations might cause his family.
The 48 year old father of three, wed to Jessica, insists he will be fully collaborative with any forthcoming enquiry and has encouraged ITV to get in contact. Earlier in the month, an ITV News piece disclosed that a number of ex-staffers and casual workers had levelled serious complaints regarding Gino's actions across a span of more than a decade, using terms such as "unacceptable,"distressing," and "horrendous".
Following these accusations - which Gino vigorously denies - his programmes have subsequently disappeared from the ITV lineup, reports the Mirror.
Over the weekend, new complaints arose, involving Gino sketching an inappropriate depiction of a woman during a live shoot for his ITV programme. A producer from 'Saturday Cooks!' spoke to The Sun reporting: "In front of the rest of the production team on the studio floor during live filming, he picked up a pad and paper and asked to draw a picture of me. I thought it was going to be a harmless caricature. But when he showed me the finished drawing I felt shocked and humiliated."
She further alleged D'Acampo made a lewd comment concerning 'Great British Bake Off' icon Mary Berry. A statement issued by Gino D'Acampo's team in response to the allegations was shared with the Mirror last night.
It read: "Mr D'Acampo was first made aware of these allegations relating to events that are said to have occurred over 17 years ago on the afternoon of the Saturday 22nd February when he was emailed by The Sun on Sunday. No details have been provided, just extremely vague allegations with no specific year or person identified and no context explained.
"None of these allegations have ever been brought to his attention previously, he does not recollect them and does not recognise the allegations or the behaviour which is attributed to him. He denies these allegations.
"He has been told by the Sun on Sunday that they are from a complaint to ITV from December 2024. If so, he urges ITV to contact him about it and he will fully cooperate. He is deeply worried about the immense and escalating distress that these allegations are having on his family".
The allegations reportedly stem from incidents that took place in 2007-2008 and were brought to ITV's attention in December 2024. In response to Gino's statement, ITV told The Mirror: "ITV is completely committed to creating an environment where everyone is treated with respect and feels able to give of their best.
"We have strengthened these policies in the last 5 years and have set up a dedicated Complaints Handling Unit in 2024 to manage any complaints we receive about on screen presenters and ensure ITV has a centralised view across different productions. The standards of behaviour that ITV expects are very clear. Everyone working with ITV is subject to ITV's Code of Ethics and Conduct.
"At ITV we treat everyone with courtesy, fairness, dignity and respect and do not tolerate abusive behaviour of any form in the workplace. We have also reiterated our expectations of our on screen presenters' behaviour through our Conduct and Standards Guidelines for On Screen Personalities issued in 2024The behaviour detailed in this press report is inappropriate and unacceptable.
"We are committed to investigating complaints in an appropriate manner and according to our robust protocols."
In response to the allegations, a representative for D'Acampo told The Sun: "Mr D'Acampo has only respect and admiration for Mary Berry and they have always had a great working relationship together. None of these allegations have ever been brought to his attention previously, he does not recollect them. He denies these allegations."
Following claims of improper conduct leveled against the television chef, ITV has decided to remove scheduled re-runs of shows featuring Gino D'Acampo. The network confirmed that D'Acampo has "firmly denied" the accusations, describing them as "simply not in my nature" and stating they have left him "deeply upsetting".
Consequently, repeats of the game show Family Fortunes hosted by D'Acampo, including one intended for airing at 7pm on ITV2 and another on Monday at the same time, have been dropped from the schedule.
Two instalments of the food travel show, 'Gino's Italy: Secrets Of The South', slated for broadcast from 6pm to 7pm on Sunday on ITVBe, are set to be pulled from the forthcoming lineup. In their place, viewers will find the programming switched up as ITVBe is set to air the TV home series 'Abbey Clancy: Celebrity Homes' on Sunday, supplanting 'Secrets Of The South'.
Meanwhile, the Graham Norton-fronted game show 'Wheel Of Fortune' is scheduled to occupy the time slots typically held by 'Family Fortunes' on both Friday and Monday.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) labelled the allegations "deeply concerning". Bectu head Philippa Childs addressed the gravity of the charges against D'Acampo, citing the lengthy duration over which they occurred as distressing in her statement.
Concerns are elevated by reports that at least one production company was purportedly cognisant of crew complaints regarding his conduct but continued collaborations with the celebrity chef.
"That at least one production company was reportedly aware of crew's concerns about his behaviour but continued to work with him should be of particular concern, and it is imperative that ITV investigates this," she underscored.
Furthermore, Ms Childs highlighted the importance of a workplace atmosphere where employees feel safe to voice issues without jeopardising their professional prospects, particularly in an industry known for stark power disparities.
She advocated for a "radical step-change" to overhaul current practices within the sector.
Gino D'Acampo's lawyers issued a statement to ITV News on his behalf, denying the allegations: "I have never been made aware of these matters previously and the allegations are firmly denied. I would not do anything that I thought would upset or distress anyone.
"This is simply not in my nature. I do not recognise the version of events being put to me. Not only have these allegations never been raised with me before, I have been repeatedly supported by executives at the highest level and was commissioned on prime-time programmes during the period in which it is now suggested I was acting inappropriately.
"I am a father, husband and have worked with well over 1,500 people on around 80 productions in my career, which I have been so proud of. I take such matters extremely seriously and the suggestion that I have acted in an improper way against is deeply upsetting."
D'Acampo's lawyers stated he "categorically denies these allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour" and added "to his knowledge no such allegations have been made against him in relation to his time on Gino's Italian Express".
They also described the allegations as "a fabricated work of fiction".An ITV spokesperson responded, stating its production companies are primarily responsible for ensuring the well-being of everyone involved in their shows, both on and off screen. The spokesperson labelled the alleged behaviour as "inappropriate and unacceptable," adding "most of them were not reported to ITV at the time.
Where issues have been raised with ITV action has been taken. " MultiStory Media, the production company behind the ITV show Gino's Italian Express, stated it would be "inappropriate to go into the detail of individual concerns" but confirmed they are "reviewing the concerns which have been raised, what was known at the time and what action was taken."
They also pledged to "look at any new concerns that have come to light", noting they haven't worked with D'Acampo for six years.
The allegations brought forward by ITV News include claims of sexualised comments towards a woman during a magazine shoot with D'Acampo in 2011, two women accusing him of making sexual remarks while working on the ITV travel show Gordon, Gino And Fred's Road Trip in 2018, and another woman alleging she witnessed him threatening a young colleague in 2019 during a TV production.
The report also suggested executives at Objective Media Group – co-producers of Gordon, Gino And Fred's Road Trip – were aware of the concerns in 2018.
An email seen by the broadcaster last year detailed "unacceptable and distressing" behaviour by D'Acampo. In response, Objective Media Group stated it "takes the welfare and wellbeing of all its production staff and teams incredibly seriously," including "behavioural clauses in talent contracts" and providing "behavioural training for on-screen talent. "
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In a statement given to ITV News, Studio Ramsay, the production company behind shows such as Gino's Italian Family Adventure and Gordon, Gino And Fred's Road Trip, stated it takes "all allegations of inappropriate behaviour and workplace misconduct seriously, promptly investigate, and take appropriate remedial action when warranted".
D'Acampo, who launched his television career in the early 2000s as a judge on ITV's cookery competition Too Many Cooks, has been a familiar face on This Morning and other ITV programmes. From 2020 to 2023, he hosted a revamped version of ITV's game show Family Fortunes, which originally aired from 1980 to 2002 and was presented by celebrities including Bob Monkhouse, Max Bygraves and Les Dennis.
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