Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has denied allegations that he is behind a ‘smear’ campaign against his former friend and fellow chef, Gino D’Acampo.
It was previously reported that D’Acampo’s allies suspected Ramsay or someone from his production company of spreading rumours about the Italian chef’s alleged misconduct in the workplace, which led to him being dropped by ITV.
D’Acampo, 48, has strongly denied the claims against him, the Scottish Daily Express reports.
The allegations surfaced after it was claimed that Ramsay, 58, had expressed concerns about D’Acampo’s behaviour during the filming of their show, Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip, which also features Fred Siriex from First Dates.
This led to speculation that Ramsay was involved in D’Acampo’s ‘cancellation’. However, a spokesperson for Ramsay’s production company, Studio Ramsay, dismissed these claims as “absolutely absurd”.
They stated: “I have no idea who is pushing this narrative, to spew such nonsense. There has been one statement made on behalf of Studio Ramsay to ITN to be used in their news report, and that is it. It is ridiculous to think anyone in Studio Ramsay or Gordon’s personal team wants to prolong this story, it’s of no benefit to anyone.”
D’Acampo initially gained fame for his segments on This Morning, starting in 2009, the same year he won I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and went on to host his own cooking shows and presented Family Fortunes from 2020 to 2023.
ITV has labelled D’Acampo’s alleged conduct as “inappropriate and unacceptable”. These claims came to light following an ITV News investigation that brought forward accusations of intimidating behaviour and sexual impropriety by D’Acampo.
In response, he has “firmly denied” the allegations and asserted that such actions are “simply not in my nature”.
Just last week, allies of D’Acampo put forth their ‘smear’ allegation in the Daily Mail. They claimed: “It’s quite clear that there has been briefing from a certain studio.
“There has been a lot coming out about his time with Gordon Ramsay and it is very anti-Gino. One minute they are working together and the best of friends. Then he leaves the Road Trip series and he is basically finished within a couple of years.”