Gino D’Acampo promoted his latest show with Fred Sirieix amid claims he is being ‘eased out’ by ITV.
The Italian chef, 48, has been accused of harassment by a woman who worked with him at ITV for five years and allegedly claimed: ‘He said and did whatever he wanted’.
But Gino was trying to stay positive amid the allegations as he shared a series of playful photos with Fred while promoting Emission Impossible.
The TV personality posted a photo of the pair in wrestling gear as they flexed their biceps along with other snaps of them on a bridge and at the airport.
Alongside the photos, Gino wrote: ‘I can’t wait to go back on the road with my French brother @fred_sirieix… Emission Impossible starts on 16th and 17th of December at 9pm on ITV and ITVX…’
The chef made no comment on the claims against him.
Gino D’Acampo promoted his latest show with Fred Sirieix amid claims he is being ‘eased out’ by ITV
The Italian chef, 48, has been accused of harassment by a woman who worked with him at ITV for five years and allegedly claimed: ‘He said and did whatever he wanted’
Gino has been damned for inappropriate behaviour by the alleged victim when he was on This Morning and on Saturday Cooks between 2006 and 2011.
The TV chef is yet to comment on his future. But an insider has claimed that Gino sees himself as a ‘cheeky Italian chappy’ and there is no malice in his jokes or playful behaviour.
An ITV source with knowledge of the D’Acampo row told MailOnline that the Gregg Wallace scandal has left Britain’s biggest commercial broadcaster terrified of contagion to their shows. Gino’s new series of Family Fortunes is filmed and due for broadcast in early 2025
‘This is all about the MasterChef effect. ITV has looked at what is happening over at the BBC and is worried something similar could happen to them’, they said.
‘If they are easing Gino out, it does reduce the chances of them having commissioned a show that they may have to can or cancel mid-way through a series. MasterChef has had to cancel two expensive Christmas specials and there is now a massive hole in its festive schedule. The Beeb will be regretting not acting sooner.
‘Gino has a reputation for his on-set antics, and while many viewers really love him and his presenting style, he has also clearly upset people he has worked with along the way.
‘The woman [who has complained to ITV] will have seen the complaints about Gregg and thought ‘actually, what happened to me at work is not right either’.’ Wallace saw his behaviour as banter, and while Gino may feel the same, the world has moved on’.
The TV worker said to have complained about him, who hasn’t been named, is said to have been inspired to speak out after Gregg Wallace was forced to step away from MasterChef after complaints about his behaviour.
But Gino was trying to stay positive amid the allegations as he shared a series of playful photos with Fred while promoting Emission Impossible
The TV personality posted a photo of the pair in wrestling gear as they flexed their biceps along with other snaps of them on a bridge and at the airport
In one snap, Gino played a guitar as he and Fred enjoyed a sea view
Alongside the photos, Gino wrote: ‘I can’t wait to go back on the road with my French brother @fred_sirieix… Emission Impossible starts on 16th and 17th of December at 9pm on ITV and ITVX’
She is said to have complained to ITV last week, just as Mr Wallace apologised for claiming ‘middle class women of a certain age’ were to blame for his fall from grace.
Another TV source added: ‘This is all about mitigating risk.
‘I think ITV will be trying to make sure that they don’t have any more scandal, especially after the year they’ve had with Phillip Schofield. They will only want to have talent that doesn’t have skeletons in the cupboard’.
It came after reports over the weekend that Gino refused to sign a ‘morality clause’ for his most recent ITV series with his friend Fred Sirieix.
He was also quietly dropped from foodie travel show Gordon [Ramsay], Gino and Fred last year. In one episode he bared his bottom in lewd chaps while visiting cowboy-country in Texas.
Gino, whose new series of Family Fortunes, which has already been filmed and is due for broadcast next year, also has a sporran, which he calls Justin Beaver, and regularly flashes on location.
A source said of the new complaint: ‘She worked [with Gino] for five years. She has come forward after being spurred on by the Gregg Wallace scandal and the comment he made about his accusers being middle-class women of a certain age’.
The insider told The Sun: ‘Her view is she is the middle-aged woman who believes young women shouldn’t have to put up with this kind of behaviour any more.
Gino bared all in a recent visit to Texas with his friends Gordon Ramsay and Fred Sirieix for their travel series
Gino was seen playing the guitar naked in the new Gino and Fred: Emission Impossible trailer
‘Gino was younger and not as well-known then. He used to say he didn’t want to become famous as he would have to curtail his behaviour.
‘He said and did whatever he wanted. Everyone was aware and she was subjected to shocking behaviour which she told ITV about last week.’
While father-of-three D’Acampo did not respond to an opportunity to comment over the weekend, a source on set did admit that the accusations could be a ‘generational issue’ and that the 48-year-old thinks of himself as a ‘cheeky Italian chappy’.
It came as it emerged that Gino was ordered to complete a language and behavioural course by ITV.
The flamboyant chef was placed on the programme amid concerns about the way he treated female colleagues on his new show Emission Impossible.
Sources said filming of the programme was halted after crew complained he made inappropriate jokes behind the scenes.
Some were allegedly offered counselling after filming of the show, co-hosted by Fred Sirieix, was complete.
ITV sources said it comes four years after channel bosses had ‘a serious word’ with D’Acampo, 48, about his off-screen exploits on foodie travel show Gordon, Gino And Fred: Road Trip.
It was claimed he had acted inappropriately towards women and made off-colour jokes. He was also caught with cannabis in his luggage by sniffer dogs.
D’Acampo was quietly dropped from the programme last year after he refused to sign a morality clause in his contract.
Yesterday, sources claimed that he is being sidelined by ITV amid concerns he may turn into ‘another Gregg Wallace’.
Gino was quietly dropped from foodie travel show Gordon, Gino and Fred, on which he appeared alongside Gordon Ramsay and Fred Sirieix. Pictured: The trio in Galicia, Spain in 2023
Father-of-three D’Acampo did not respond to a request for comment last night.
ITV said: ‘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.’
On Saturday it was reported that D’Acampo is being slowly sidelined by ITV amid a string of inappropriate behaviour claims.
It is understood the Italian chef was secretly ditched from Gordon, Gino and Fred: Road Trip after refusing to sign a morality clause in his contract.
A morality clause, also known as a morals clause, is a provision within a contract that requires an individual or party to adhere to certain behavioural standards. The clause gives the other party the right to terminate the contract if the first party behaves in a way that negatively impacts the other party’s reputation or image.
A source told The Sun: ‘Whilst Gino is very well-liked by some, he has fallen out with many. He loves a party and, ultimately, refused to sign the morality clause in his contract which would keep him on the straight and narrow. This was the final straw and the decision was made to part ways.
‘He was quite stroppy on the set of Emission Impossible and, following an accident on set, the crew were offered therapy because they found the resulting fall-out very hard.
‘Filming was halted and Gino was put on a training course.’
The source explained Gino has a sporran, the pocket on a Scottish kilt, which he calls Justin Beaver and regularly flashes.
Gino is due on air next year for a series of Family Fortunes which has already been filmed.
Last November Gino was caught with cannabis in his luggage by sniffer dogs as he flew into the UK after filming with Gordon and Fred.
Gino was allegedly given a warning and a source reported that he called Gordon and Fred the following day to explain he had been smoking it to help his bad back, as they added that he was released by police ‘without issue’.
It is claimed Gordon and Fred were both angry about the situation, particularly as Gordon has always been vocal about his anti-drugs stance.
Meanwhile the star found himself at the centre of complaints from staff left feeling ‘uncomfortable’ by his behaviour towards them back in March 2023.
The Mail on Sunday understands that employees working on Gordon, Gino & Fred: Road Trip had made their concerns known to producers.
Gino is due on air next year for a series of Family Fortunes which has already been filmed
One source said that ‘some people’ who work with him do not like how he operates both on set and at extra-curricular events such as wrap parties.
The news followed Gino admitting that he has decided to quit the show, saying he doesn’t want ‘stressful’ contract talks to ruin his friendship with his co-stars.
Although the complaints are not thought to be a contributing factor to his decision to leave after four series, they have been noted by bosses at Studio Ramsay – the company founded by Gordon Ramsay that makes the programme.
A show insider said: ‘Crews, contributors and television executives see how Gino behaves. It is much discussed around the industry, which isn’t ideal.’
While father-of-three D’Acampo did not respond to an opportunity to comment on the complaints yesterday, a source on set did admit that the accusations could be a ‘generational issue’ and that the 46-year-old thinks of himself as a ‘cheeky Italian chappy’.
They said: ‘Gino has an old-school attitude and often thinks he is being funny when perhaps those who are somewhat younger than him would take a different view.
‘There are times that he has made people feel uncomfortable but there is currently the whole millennial versus older generation thing going on in television at the moment.’
