Celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo faces a number of allegations of inappropriate and intimidating behaviour on set of his television programmes, all of which he denies.
An ITV News investigation published the allegations, where 'dozens' of people accused D'Acampo of 'unacceptable', 'distressing' and 'horrendous' comments. The TV chef has responded via his legal team saying he 'firmly denied' the 'deeply upsetting' allegations.
What is Gino D'Acampo accused of?
The allegations come from anonymous staff members who have worked with D'Acampo on TV productions. He is accused of aggressive behaviour, using abusive language during outbursts on set and using sexualised language.
The nature of his behaviour allegedly left some staff fearful and uncomfortable, according to ITV News. The claims date back over 10 years.
One woman claimed that in 2019 she saw the celebrity chef – a regular on ITV show This Morning – appearing to threaten a colleague over an ice cream. 'I was present when Gino said to the runner, "If you don’t get me a Cornetto I will f*** your girlfriend"', she said. 'I felt appalled, disgusted, embarrassed and very angry.'
Another woman claimed that on a magazine shoot in 2011, D’Acampo told her in front of the crew that he wanted to turn her over and 'f*** me up the a***'. She added: 'I felt like Gino, in that moment, was very entitled and he felt very safe.' D'Acampo's legal team told ITV News he did not recall the incident, nor accept that it happened.
'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,' D'Acampo said in a statement.
D'Acampo has worked on shows including Gordon, Gino & Fred's Road Trip, Gino's Italian Escape, Family Fortunes, Gino's Italian Family Adventure and Celebrity Juice, most of which are hosted on ITV.
In a statement, ITV said production companies 'have the primary responsibility for the duty of care of everyone they work with'. A spokesperson for the broadcaster said it had 'strengthened' policies about what standards they expect from production companies it works with in the past five years.
'All of the concerns and complaints raised by those who have spoken to ITN [the producer of ITV News] describe behaviour which is inappropriate and unacceptable,' the statement continued. 'Most of them were not reported to ITV at the time. Where issues have been raised with ITV action has been taken.'
ITV also reported that bosses at Objective Media Group, the production company behind Gordon, Gino And Fred's Road Trip in 2018, appear to have been aware of concerns about D'Acampo's behaviour.
Objective Media Group said: 'We have robust protocols and procedures in place for all cast and crew, including on-screen talent, that we review regularly whilst also ensuring that we take into account developments regarding industry wide 'Duty of Care' guidelines.'
The production company continued: 'Across all productions we encourage people to raise any concerns at the earliest opportunity... If there are incidents or complaints reported, we implement our Escalation Procedure and ensure that a full and thorough process is followed in close collaboration with the broadcaster.'