ITV has pulled Gino D’Acampo’s upcoming TV shows from their schedule after the celebrity chef was accused of inappropriate behaviour on set. Friday’s airing of the ITV2 episode of Family Fortunes was replaced with Wheel of Fortune, and Sunday’s two episodes of Secrets of the South are no longer airing on the ITVBe schedule. The decision was made after ITV News published an investigation, in which “dozens” of individuals claimed that D’Acampo had made “unacceptable”, “horrendous” and “distressing” comments. D’Acampo has denied these claims, but the broadcaster has since removed any scheduled programmes featuring him.
Since the early 2000s, the 48-year-old chef and presenter has been a regular on UK television. D’Acampo has worked on a number of cooking and travel shows for ITV and has appeared in other entertainment programmes, as well as making appearances on BBC shows. ITV has revealed that there are no plans to air a new series of Family Fortunes, filmed in October 2023, at this time. However, viewers can still watch some of D’Acampo’s programmes on ITXV, the broadcaster’s streaming service.
The anonymous accusers who spoke to ITV News claimed that D’Acampo had used aggressive behaviour on set, directed abusive language and said things of a sexual nature, which scared and made production staff uncomfortable. Freelancer sources spoke to the publication and feared raising their voices at the time might result in a loss of future employment. D’Acampo’s representatives commented via ITV News that he had “never been made aware of these matters previously.” The chef has denied the claims and views them deeply upsetting. A statement from ITV said production companies “have the primary responsibility for the duty of care of everyone they work with,” and that the broadcaster has strengthened policies over the past five years. ITV stated that “all of the concerns and complaints raised explain behaviour that is inappropriate and unacceptable.” Few of these statements were reported to ITV at the time as possible actions are now being taken following the allegations.
BBC News has requested a comment from D’Acampo’s representative concerning the allegations. Dozens of people have come forward to make claims against the chef, and these allegations have been taken very seriously. The accusations have been made by people who have worked with D’Acampo on TV productions, and after thorough investigations by ITV News, the TV chef’s programmes have been removed until further notice
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