HE has been one of ITV’s biggest stars since winning the nation over with his Italian charm on I’m A Celebrity.
But TV chef Gino D’Acampo is now slowly being sidelined by ITV bosses amid a series of allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
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Gino D’Acampo with his wife Jess when he won I’m a Celebrity Credits: Rex
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Fred Sirieix and Gino D’ACampo stripped COMPLETELY naked while filming the show Credit: fred_siriex/Instagram
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ITV bosses are slowly pushing Gino aside Credit: Rex
Gino has been accused of misconduct by a woman he worked with between 2006 and 2011 on the flagship show This Morning, where he was head chef, and on Saturday Cooks.
It is understood she decided to speak out after a series of allegations against BBC MasterChef host Gregg Wallace came to light.
Gino was accused of jokingly flashing – with crew members on Emission Impossible, his show with Fred Sirieix, he offered counseling afterwards.
Gino has now been kicked out of Gordon, Gino and Fred: Road Trip after he refused to sign a morals clause in his contract, and concerned executives put him on a language and manners course.
Losing his job is sure to be a blow not only to Gin, but also to his wife of 22 years his junior, Jess D’Acampo, who has been by his side through thick and thin – she quit her job to take care of their three children when the big one first hit time.
She even stayed with him during his two-year prison sentence and the pair have an unconventional relationship, with Gino admitting he still enjoys his “single life” and only calls his wife 20 minutes a week while he’s away.
Gino met his “first love” Jess – who is half Italian, half British – when he was 18, working at Sylvester Stallone’s Mambo King restaurant in Marbella.
He once said of her: “My wife is a smart woman, she knows when to say something and when to bite her tongue.”
2 years in prison
It was difficult at first and they broke up for a year, but the time they spent apart strengthened their bond and after reconciling they moved to the UK together in 1995.
It could almost be over for good in 1998, when Gino was sentenced to two years in prison for breaking into the home of singer Paul Young.
Gina D’Acampo’s wife burst into tears as he surprised her with a vow renewal ceremony on their 20th anniversary in Italy
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Gino and Jess were teenage sweethearts Credit: Alamy
Gino stole £4,000 worth of guitars, a platinum record, cash and jewelery from Young’s mansion and was arrested after his DNA was found on a discarded cigarette butt.
While incarcerated, Gino decided that he wanted to start a new page when he was released.
“I was a boy, so I decided to get married and then I will be a man,” he said.
So he and Jess got married in 2002, and soon after that they had their first son Lucian, now 22 years old.
It wasn’t until 2009 that things changed for Gino and Jess.
He was one of the lesser-known contestants when he entered the I’m A Celebrity jungle, alongside Katie Price and Kim Woodburn.
But Gino won – and, soon after, Jess quit her job as an HR manager to become a “lady of leisure”, as Gino puts it, and look after their sons, Luciano and Rocci, now 19. year.
“I clean her car every week. I charge her toothbrush every time the battery is dead and I always bring her a bottle of cold water in case she’s thirsty at night,” he added.
They also had a third child, Mija, who is 10 years old today, in 2014.
‘Single Life’
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Gino and Jess 2009. Credit: Alamy
Gino said he and Jess have a “traditional marriage”, although part of the reason they work is the lack of time in each other’s company.
He told Love Sunday: “Jessica and I don’t really spend time together.
“I think that’s one of the reasons why we lasted 20 years.
“That’s a good thing, I don’t really want to know everything my wife does, because she’ll bore me.”
My wife goes to dinner with male friends, and I go to dinner with female friends or business friends. We are very relaxed.
Gino D’Acampo
Gino also admitted that he enjoys the “single life” while away for work, talking to his wife for just 20 minutes a week.
You have to balance your married life with your ‘single life’, he said earlier.
“There is a time when the family is together, when I am with my wife and we all celebrate holidays together and everything like that.
“But there has to be a time when I do things by myself and when she does things by herself.
“I can be away for a month and I will talk to my wife once a week for about 20 minutes. Then when I come back we can talk about everything.
“Some of my friends talk to their wives for an hour and I’m like, ‘What the hell are you going to say to your wife for an hour every day that you can’t say when you’re live?'”
Gino also says he spends time with other women alone – taking them out for dinner and drinks.
He added: “Do you think I should organize a holiday if I wanted to be unfaithful to my wife?
“I can do it anytime, anywhere. So once you get that out of your head, going on vacation alone doesn’t matter anymore.”
‘Jess gives me freedom’
Gino also insisted that he and Jess have complete trust in each other and that she is not “jealous” that he is “surrounded by women”.
Speaking to Weekend magazine, Gino said: “When I met my wife I realized that she is an extremely generous, intelligent woman.
“My friends’ girlfriends stopped them from doing it, but from day one Jessica gave me a lot of freedom.
“If you try to lock men up, it’s not going to work. I can do pretty much whatever I want. If I say, ‘I’m taking my friends out,’ she doesn’t say, ‘But you’ve been away for the past week.’
“There’s no point in having a man around if he doesn’t want to be there.”
He added to the Daily Star: “We let each other have our own lives, which means going on holiday with our friends.
“My wife goes to dinner with male friends, and I go to dinner with female friends or business friends. We are very relaxed.”
Renewal of TV vows
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Gino and Jess renewed their vows on their 20th anniversary Credit: Instagram
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He surprised her during dinner on his TV show Credits: ITV
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He revealed that the waitress was actually going to marry them Credit: ITV
In 2021, for their 20th wedding anniversary, Gino surprised Jess by renewing their wedding vows in Puglia, on his TV show, Gino’s Italian Family Adventure.
While they were having dinner together in a restaurant, Gino pointed to the waitress and said: “So Bella, she’s not really a waiter, she’s going to marry us again.”
A shocked Jessica replied, “Are you serious?”
Dressed in a white shirt and tie, Gino then handed her a bouquet of flowers and said: “Yes, this is for you.”
Gino then showed Jessica the tablet screen to reveal their children in a video call.
Mia said, “Mom you look beautiful, I wish I was there!”
Seeing his crying mom, Luciano said, “Mom stop crying. It’s a happy day.”
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Source: HIS Education