GINO D’Acampo stroked his crotch in front of his I’m A Celeb campmates and screamed at crew members, his co-star on the show, Kim Woodburn, has claimed.
Kim, who came second to Gino in the 2009 series, said the Italian’s behaviour had left her uncomfortable – and should have seen him axed from hit ITV show.
Gino and Kim appeared in the 2009 series of I’m A Celeb[/caption]
Natasha Kaplinsky and Gino D’Acampo on Let’s Do Lunch with Gino and Mel[/caption]
The 48-year-old, then 33, would touch himself over his shorts – and make crude remarks about his private parts, she told The Sun.
Kim, 83, added: “He used to stand over a log and stroke his privates over his shorts. He’d talk to his penis saying, ‘I know you haven’t had any sex, but when you get out of here, you will get so much’.
“He would say his privates were being deprived and neglected, and his wife would give him a good seeing to when he got home. We would all just turn away.
“It made me uncomfortable because it was vile and crude. It’s not appropriate to do that in front of women. But Gino thinks he can do what he wants.”
Kim also claimed that the telly chef swore at members of the production team after they stepped in when he cheated in a Bushtucker trial.
“His language to the crew was disgusting,” she said. “He cheated, called this producer a ‘f***ing bastard’ and a ‘c***’, then refused to leave the set.
“We had to stop filming while two men took him by the arm and forced him off the set back to the camp. They should have thrown him off the show. Ghastly it was.”
Gino had been sent to do the challenge alongside model Sam Fox, actor George Hamilton and former EastEnders actress Lucy Benjamin, Kim explained.
“We were all in this Jacuzzi-type thing full of water with a wheel. There were these little flags which weren’t allowed to touch the water, and suddenly this crew member shouted, ‘Gino, you’re out! You’re cheating’.
“All these people in suits came out to look at the footage and there it was, we could all see he had cheated. But Gino started effing and jeffing, using the c-word, calling this one young male crew member ‘a piece of s***’.”
Kim described the dad-of-three, once beloved for his funny cameos on This Morning, a “horrible, vile man” and a “full-of-himself little pig” – and he had portrayed inaccurately on-screen.
She added: “ITV were wrong to keep him on that set, and then he goes and wins. He got a great edit.
“ITV know they covered up that he cheated, and it doesn’t surprise me to hear they have been covering up his other bad behaviour that has taken over the years.
“They’re a disgrace. What is wrong with these TV execs?”
The allegations come just days after an ITV investigation unearthed dozens of complaints about the TV star over more than 12 years.
These included claims of “sexually inappropriate” and “intimidating” behaviour – described as “unacceptable”, “distressing” and “horrendous”.
Gino with the 2009 cast of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here![/caption]
Denise Welch and Gino D’Acampo on Loose Women in 2011[/caption]
Gino with his wife Jessica on their 31-year anniversary[/caption]
Gino told the network that he “firmly denied” all the allegations, which he called “deeply upsetting”.
Speaking to ITV News correspondent Sejal Karia, one woman alleged that he told her he would “like to turn me over and f*** me up the a*** against the kitchen counter” – while on a job in 2011.
The woman, who has been called Hannah to protect her identity, said there was “a ripple of laughs” while nervous crew members hid behind cups of tea.
She said she felt “shock” and “horror” at the apparent “power play” – but that Gino seemed to be protected from criticism.
Gino D’Acampo’s legal team said in response: “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.
“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”.
BUSINESSES OF STAR ‘AT RISK’
GINO D’Acampo risks losing his business empire — which spans TV shows, restaurants and deals with major supermarket chains.
The under-fire Italian chef runs six restaurants across the country including branches in Manchester, London, Leeds and Liverpool.
In 2022, he was forced to liquidate his previous chain My Pasta Bar, which had three branches in London, with debts of £5million.
The star, reportedly making £2million a year from TV work, was accused of failing to pay the chain’s staff £37,000 in wages.
Gino, 48, previously partnered with Asda to launch a kitchenware and cooking range.
His £16 frying pans, wooden boards, £5 scissors and trays were still available last night.
The store previously sold Gino’s range of organic cupboard staples, ready meals and frozen dinners with a “taste of Italy”.
He also launched a £330 pizza oven in 2023 which he has continued to plug on social media.
And the TV star has also written numerous cookbooks filled with recipes from his home country — which are still available on Amazon.
“He emphatically and unequivocally denies these allegations.”
Another woman, given the name of Natalie, also claimed she felt Gino’s behaviour was “aggressive”.
She alleged: “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.”
The woman told ITV she felt “disgusted” and the alleged experience made her think about resigning.
In response to this, Gino’s spokesperson said: “Mr D’Acampo categorically denies these allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour.”
Amy Childs and Gino D’Acampo on Let’s Do Lunch with Gino and Mel[/caption]
One woman told ITV News Correspondent Sejal Karia the TV chef made inappropriate sexual comments to her on a job in 2011[/caption]
“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.”
Meanwhile a third woman told ITV she saw Gino behaving in a threatening manner to threaten a young colleague in 2019.
She claimed: “I was present when Gino said to the runner, ‘If you don’t get me a Cornetto I will f*** your girlfriend.’”
In 2018 he allegedly told another young female colleague, “Shouldn’t we be talking about her t***, they’re perfect, they’re like a mouthful,” according to a crew member.
In December last year, Gino edged out of his travel show with Fred Sirieix after refusing to sign a morality contract clause.
He was put on a language and behavioural course by concerned executives.
He was accused of jokingly flashing— with crew members on Emission Impossible, his show with Fred Sirieix, offered counselling afterwards.
A spokesperson for ITV said at the time: “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.”
Gino D’Acampo response in full
In a statement to ITV News, Gino D’Acampo said: “I have been told by ITN news that allegations have been made about me acting inappropriately, some dating back over ten years ago.
“I have never been made aware of these matters previously and the allegations are firmly denied. I would not do anything that I thought would upset or distress anyone.
“This is simply not in my nature. I do not recognise the version of events being put to me.
“Not only have these allegations never been raised with me before, I have been repeatedly supported by executives at the highest level and was commissioned on prime-time programmes during the period in which it is now suggested I was acting inappropriately.
“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 and the suggestion that I have acted in an improper way against is deeply upsetting.”
