Gino D’Acampo is the latest TV star to find himself in a storm of controversy amid allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” that have been made against him.
The celebrity chef, 48, has been accused of “sexually inappropriate behaviour” over a timespan of more than 12 years.
An ITV news investigation reported that dozens of people claimed D’Acampo had made inappropriate comments, caused discomfort, and uttered sexually suggestive remarks while working with them, with Gino vehemently denying all of these claims.
The father-of-three, who has been married to his wife Jessica Stellina Morrison since 2002, suffered a huge blow when his ITV shows were all pulled from the TV schedule amid the allegations against him.
However, this would not be the first time that the Family Fortunes host has found himself in a controversial position in the public eye. In fact, when Gino first rose to fame, he was a convicted criminal and had just served time behind bars for raiding a popstar’s home.
Yet, he managed to rise to fame off the back off this serious crime and became a household name thanks to his growing relationship with ITV who offered him numerous opportunities to grow his career as a TV chef.
But who was Gino before he made a name for himself and how did he become so successful after his time in jail? Here’s everything we know about the TV chef’s past..
Background
The celebrity chef, born Gennaro Sheffield D’Acampo, is originally from Naples where he grew up on a farm in Torre del Greco.
Inspired by his talented grandfather, who was a head chef in Italy, Gino also fell in love with cooking and entered the Luigi de Medici Catering College at just 13-years-old.
Gino made the move to Britain in 1995 when he was 18, working first at The Orchard Restaurant in London’s Hampstead and later at the Cambio Restaurant in Guildford.
Jail time
Just three years after he moved to the UK, Gino found himself behind bars when he was convicted of burgling singer Paul Young’s home in 1998.
Then 22, Gino was sentenced to a two year prison term of which he served 10 months.
The now 48-year-old stole various expensive items from Paul’s London home including a £4,000 guitar and a platinum disc as well as some irreplaceable recordings of Paul’s wife Stacey which have never been recovered or returned.
It was during his time in prison that the ITV chef decided he had to change his life. Gino has been very open about his past conviction, previously telling What’s On TV: “I didn’t use my best judgement and made a serious mistake. It was a dreadful experience, but in life I’ve learned to make good come out of everything.
“I thought, ‘This is not going to drag me down, this is going to make me a better man.'”
However, it turned out that Gino’s stint in prison is actually what led to his rise to fame as a TV chef.
The dad-of-three continued: “So I came out of prison a man with a plan, determined to set up a business importing Italian ingredients. And once again saw how great this country is because everything allowed me to make my fresh start.
“People said, “You made a mistake – we all do, show me what you’re capable of and move on.” I got the business up and running and then TV came calling and I was offered guest spots on Great Food Live, Saturday Cooks, This Morning… you name it.”
Paul had previously accepted an apology from Gino telling the Evening Standard in 2011: “I don’t hold it against him. He said it was bad and he apologised, and I did get most of the stuff back.
“Maybe he needed his wrist slapping and he got that. He said he was in a terrible place and wanted to turn his life around.”
Although Gino and Paul have since put their differences aside, the singer’s wife Stacey died in 2018 with Paul saying it resurfaced pain about the recordings of Stacey he never got back.
Rise to fame
After he was released from prison, Gino’s co-owned business Bonta Italia, which imported Italian produce to restaurants, supermarkets and manufacturers in the UK, became quite the success.
As a result, he bagged himself a spot on Great Food Live back in 2002 which was closely followed by appearances on Channel 5’s The Terry & Gabby Show in 2004.
Gino then landed a recurring stint on Sky One’s Taste but it was his appearance on I’m A Celebrity in 2009 that won him many of his fans, so much so that he went on to become King of the Jungle that year.
From there, he became a household name after This Morning kept him on as a regular presenter for their food segment that same year and he even landed his own show alongside Melanie Sykes called Let’s Do Lunch With Gino & Mel.
In more recent times, Gino became the Family Fortunes host in 2020. He has also released various documentaries including Gino’s Italian Family and Gino’s Italian Coastal Escape have been a huge hit as well as his travel series Gordon, Gino and Fred: Road Trip with fellow celeb chef Gordon Ramsay and Fred Sirieix.
Aside from presenting, D’Acampo also has seven restaurants across the UK including in Manchester, London, Liverpool and Leeds.
Current allegations
Gino’s career has now taken a turn after he was recently accused of “sexually inappropriate behaviour” over a period of 12 years.
The chef’s actions have been described by dozens of people as “unacceptable”, “distressing” and “horrendous”, according to an investigation by ITV News.
Gino has firmly denied all these allegations, telling ITV: “I would not do anything that I thought would upset or distress anyone”.
He added: “I am a father, husband… the suggestion that I have acted in an improper way against is deeply upsetting.”
The star’s ITV shows have all currently been pulled from the schedule amid the ongoing controversy.