Gino D'Acampo set to make TV return with brand-new travelogue and Irish drama series after being axed by ITV following accusations of inappropriate behaviour towards women

Daily Mail​

11 hours ago

Gino D'Acampo is cooking up a comeback with a new travel series and a surprising dip into acting, after being axed from ITV amid a serious of misconduct claims.
In recent months the TV chef, 48, has faced a string of accusations of inappropriate behaviour towards women - which he has denied.
ITV subsequently pulled all of Gino's shows from its upcoming schedules after the accusations were revealed in an investigation.
At the time an insider told MailOnline: 'He's in a lot of trouble and ITV don't want to be in a BBC situation [with Gregg Wallace ] or have a repeat of Schofield so they are covering all their bases.'
But now the chef has revealed he'll be back on screens this September with An Italian In Malta, a brand-new travelogue exploring the Mediterranean island he now calls a second home.
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He told The Mirror: 'The idea is to show everyone all over the world a bit about the country - I want to find the perfect restaurant, the perfect recipe, the perfect spot, I will speak to the local people, what they cook and how they cooked 200 years ago.'
In another twist, Gino has also been quietly filming an acting project in Ireland, playing a grease-covered mechanic, marking his first proper stab at a scripted role.
He revealed: 'I am playing a part in a series, my part is this Italian-American mechanic that is always in trouble with the police or always in trouble with the law and then he became a mechanic and he's helping the main character in the show.
'This is acting now, I'm not becoming a real mechanic, I'm useless at stuff like that.'
MailOnline has approached representatives for Gino for comment.
The comeback news follows months out of the limelight for the This Morning star, who stepped back from TV duties after ITV News published allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour - including claims of aggressive, sexualised language - spanning more than a decade.
Gino said he 'firmly denied' the accusations, calling them 'simply not in my nature.'
Despite his TV career imploding following the allegations, which sparked job offers to dry up, Gino insists he's ready to move forward, adding that not everyone has turned their back on him.
Addressing rumours of a fallout with long-time co-star Gordon Ramsay, Gino insisted the two are still tight and described him as 'a very generous, cool guy'.
He told The Mirror: 'If I FaceTime here he would answer of course, but if I FaceTime him and I'm on a show he will be really annoyed.'
Earlier this month, Gino launched his first international restaurant, Luciano, in Malta, however, not everyone will welcome Gino's return with open arms.
Just last month, during a risqué radio interview, the former I'm A Celeb star sparked fresh backlash with a string of crass comments about women's bodies claiming a 'real man' likes women to have 'things to grab' and admitting a preference for curvier figures.
Responding when one of the presenters, named Nicole, said that she regularly dieted, he said: 'Only dogs like bones.
'A real man, he wants the meat, you know, the things to grab. Don't get too skinny, otherwise it's like, no.'
Earlier this year, Gino's former host Melanie Sykes slammed the chef and television bosses, saying the industry needs to 'clean out' the 'monsters' among its talent.
She presented ITV's cookery and chat show Let's Do Lunch for three years alongside Gino, but quit television in 2021 after what she claims was an inappropriate remark from MasterChef host Gregg Wallace.
Reflecting on her turbulent time in the industry, Melanie, 55, said: 'I've been watching what's happening with all these misogynists on telly and I'm supporting anybody who's experienced anything that's beyond pale.
'There is no protection. Some of it's being done behind closed doors, but it's happening on set. When channels say, "It's not our problem because it's with a production company", it's just appalling.'
She continued: 'I remember once when Gino said to me he can just go up to the powers that be and knock on the door and go in. He doesn't need a meeting. He was quite pleased with himself he could do that.
'I feel like I was in a war zone in that industry – 24 years of battling through an industry that didn't feel right to me anyway. If you're spending all your time cleaning up people's s***, just clean the house, clean out the house and start again, that's all I'm saying.'