Gino D'Acampo 'quietly droppped' by ITV as Family Fortunes axed after sex claims

ITV is hoping to avoid a formal review into the many complaints about Gino D’Acampo ’s behaviour - because he is no longer involved with any of the channel’s programming. One insider said that the Italian, best known for his appearances on This Morning but also for his appearances on a range of factual and entertainment shows, had been quietly dropped over the course of the past year. “There is nothing currently commissioned or in development with Gino D’Acampo,” they said. “The only outstanding show is a series of Family Fortunes which was recorded in October 2023, but is not currently scheduled.”.

Bosses are hoping that the newly created Complaints Handling Unit, established last year to help enforce the “robust and comprehensive” duty of care policies put into place in the wake of the Phillip Schofield debacle, will look at each complaint individually. The source added: “It would be less of a review and more about just encouraging people to come forward though those channels if they have anything they need to raise.”.

D’Acampo is facing “dozens” of allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour spanning the past 12 years, according to an investigation by ITV News. One of his other shows for the channel was filmed on the road alongside his “great friends” Gordon Ramsay and Fred Sirieix, which came to an abrupt end amid a fallout in 2022. Yesterday Gordon Ramsay’s TV company Studio Ramsay, which produced Gino's Italian Family Adventure and co-produced Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip series, released a statement in which they distanced themselves from the Italian. It said: “Studio Ramsay have not worked on a series with Gino D’Acampo since 2022. We take all allegations of inappropriate behaviour and workplace misconduct seriously, promptly investigate, and take appropriate remedial action when warranted.".

One woman told ITV News that D’Acampo, who is married to Jessica and has three children Luciano, 22, Rocco, 19, and 12-year-old Mia, made a vulgar sexual comment towards her during a magazine shoot in 2011. She claims the celebrity chef said he’d like "like to turn me over and f*** me up the a*** against the kitchen counter” in front of the crew, leaving her feeling “horror” and “shock”. Another woman alleged that when she went to brief D'Acampo about a location shoot, he opened the door in his boxer shorts and made jokes about his privates, leaving her feeling uncomfortable.

In a separate claim, D’Acampo was accused of threatening a junior member of staff on Gino’s Italian Express. “I was present when Gino said to the runner, ‘If you don't get me a Cornetto, I will f*** your girlfriend’,” one female crew member said, with another confirming the remark and saying it had “stuck in my head for years”. The TV chef is also alleged to have made a crude comment about a colleague's breasts during filming in 2018, saying: "Shouldn't we be talking about her t***? They're perfect, like a mouthful.”.

And in another remark he is said to have asked: “When are we all going to get drunk and have sex together?” to members of the production team. One woman told the news programme: “His 'cheeky chappy' persona allowed him to hide in plain sight. If I see him on TV, I have to leave the room.” His legal team issued a strong denial, saying: “No-one has ever made these complaints directly to Mr D'Acampo. He does not recall making these comments, nor does he accept that they were made.”.

Gino himself said: “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.” And he added: “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 is deeply upsetting.”.

ITV set up a dedicated Complaints Handling Unit in 2024 specifically to manage any moans about on screen presenters. In a statement yesterday the company said: “All of the concerns and complaints raised by those who have spoken to ITN describe behaviour which is inappropriate and unacceptable. Most of them were not reported to ITV at the time. Where issues have been raised with ITV action has been taken.

“We can only act where we know that concerns have been raised, and will now be following up on those that had not previously been reported to us.” Yesterday it emerged that some shows in which he featured on the channel’s streaming service ITVX have being removed. The situation is in stark contrast to the BBC ’s situation with MasterChef host Gregg Wallace, who has also received many complaints of sexual misconduct dating back up to 20 years. A legal review into those complaints, ordered by production company Shine, was yesterday said to be “ongoing”, with the BBC waiting to find out if the pre-recorded main series of MasterChef, featuring Wallace as a presenter alongside John Torode and due to air in the spring, will make it onto the screen.