TV chef Gino D’Acampo, known for his appearances on This Morning and as the host of Family Fortunes, has been accused of “sexually inappropriate behaviour” spanning over a period of more than 12 years.
The allegations, described as “unacceptable, distressing and horrendous”, have been made by dozens of individuals, leading to an investigation by ITV News.
D’Acampo has “firmly denied” these claims, stating that they are “deeply upsetting”. The report by ITV News includes testimonies from people who allegedly worked with D’Acampo, reports the Mirror
Crude sex act
One woman, referred to as Hannah to protect her identity, claimed that in 2011, D’Acampo made vulgar comments towards her, suggesting a crude sexual act. She alleges that while some crew members laughed at his comment, she felt “very, very, very small” and saw the “shock” and “horror”.
Speaking to ITV News Correspondent Sejal Karia, Hannah said: “I definitely saw it as some kind of power play. The very act of what he said was aggressive. He did not think that was an inappropriate thing to say to me.”
Gino D’Acampo’s legal team has responded to allegations dating back nearly 15 years, stating: “This allegation from almost 15 years ago has never, until now via a media request for comment, been raised or put to Mr D’Acampo. He does not recall it, nor accept that this happened. Mr D’Acampo is horrified to be accused of ‘power play’ and an ‘aggressive act’. He emphatically and unequivocally denies these allegations.”
‘Small’ penis
Another woman has come forward with claims about her interaction with Gino, alleging that he opened the door in his boxer shorts and jumped on the bed, making a reference to his penis, saying: “It’s only small.”
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed she felt “disgusted” by the incident.
In response, Gino’s legal representatives stated: “Mr D’Acampo categorically denies these allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour. To his knowledge no such allegations have been made against him in relation to his time on ‘Gino’s Italian Express’ and this is the first time, six years later, he has been informed of these alleged incidents, and he does not accept them, not least because some of this is considered by Mr D’Acampo to be a fabricated work of fiction.”
Ice cream demand
Celebrity chef Gino has become embroiled in controversy after being accused of making a lewd comment to a junior staff member, suggesting he would “f**k” the colleague’s girlfriend if not served an ice cream while on set.
His legal representatives have responded, stating, “Mr D’Acampo is mortified to be accused of saying inappropriate words to a junior member of staff on Gino’s Italian Express. He does not recall this incident at all, and the words alleged are absolutely not ones that he would say.”
On screen and off screen
A spokesperson for Objective Media Group indicated that concerns had been addressed and when alleged issues were raised, Gino was “spoken to about the differences between on screen character material and behaviour off screen with members of the team.”
‘Felt like f******’
Further allegations have surfaced from a female member of the production crew who claimed that during the 2018 filming of Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip, the chef remarked about feeling sexual without any prior greetings.
She alleged his exact words were: “Without saying hello, good morning – he just announced loudly that he felt like f****** that morning. Yeah, ‘I really feel like a s*** this morning’. And off he went.”
Inappropriate comment
Other claims have been made from people working on Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip in 2018. Gino is alleged to have made a comment about a young female colleague. It has been claimed he said: “Shouldn’t we be talking about her t***, they’re perfect, they’re like a mouthful.”
Gino’s response
Gino vehemently denied any wrongdoing relating to all the allegations in a statement to ITV News, saying: “I have been told by ITN news that allegations have been made about me acting inappropriately, some dating back over ten years ago. 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.”