Celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo has been accused of making “sexually inappropriate” comments following an ITV investigation that uncovered complaints from multiple individuals. One woman alleged to ITV News Correspondent Sejal Karia that in 2011, Gino made a lewd comment, stating he would “like to turn me over and f*** me up the a*** against the kitchen counter”.
She described the remark as a “kind of power play” and “aggressive” behaviour that left her feeling belittled. Gino D’Acampo has strongly denied the allegations.
As reported by Birmingham Live, his legal team issued a statement to ITV News, saying: “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.”
The statement continued: “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.”
Another woman also described his behavior as “aggressive”. She claimed: “He opened the door in his boxer shorts, nothing else. And jumped on the bed and was sort of – leg up.
“We had to sort of sit there facing him and he made, you know, reference to his d***, basically saying, ‘Oh, don’t worry, it’s only small’, and sort of flicking it.”
In response, Gino D’Acampo’s legal representatives stated: “Mr D’Acampo categorically denies these allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour.”
They added: “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.”
Another woman told ITV about an incident in 2019 where she witnessed Gino allegedly threatening a young colleague, saying: “I was present when Gino said to the runner, ‘If you don’t get me a Cornetto I will f*** your girlfriend.'” She described feeling “appalled” and “very angry” at the behaviour.
A fellow crew member also recounted how Gino used his status to “bully and intimidate us”. Additionally, Gino faced accusations of making an inappropriate comment, stating he felt “like f******” to a female staff member during the filming of Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip.
In 2018, he is alleged to have made an inappropriate remark to a young female colleague, commenting: “Shouldn’t we be talking about her t***, they’re perfect, they’re like a mouthful.”
Another woman claimed to ITV that he said: “When are we all going to get drunk and have sex together.”
An ITV spokesperson stated: “We made our position clear following the outcome of our KC Review last year after which we said, ‘We are completely committed to creating an environment where everyone is treated with respect and feels able to give of their best.
“Our promise to those we work with is that where a complaint is made, or serious concerns raised, we will always investigate and if we find that something inappropriate has happened, we will take action. We will continue to develop our efforts to give junior colleagues the confidence to speak up if they have something to raise.
“Following the review we reiterated our expectations and introduced Conduct and Standards Guidelines for On Screen Personalities which outlines our expectations in terms of behaviour, and have also previously offered training in language and behaviour, either directly or through our third party producers, where appropriate.”