Gino D'Acampo is reportedly planning a return to television with the support of female producers who have worked with him, even as UK broadcasters keep the chef off air following allegations of inappropriate conduct.
According to a Daily Mail report by Grant Tucker, the 49-year-old presenter has lined up a series of overseas engagements over the next six months and intends to stage a "charm offensive" on British television executives when he returns to the UK in the spring. ITV removed D'Acampo from its schedule earlier this year after ITV News published accounts from anonymous former colleagues alleging what the broadcaster described as unacceptable and distressing behaviour on several programmes over a period of more than a decade.
The Daily Mail story quotes producers and friends who say some female colleagues believe D'Acampo has been unfairly portrayed and deserve to help him rehabilitate his career. "There are some monsters who work in television but Gino was never one of them," one female producer told the paper, adding she found working with him "never an uncomfortable experience" and that his risqué humour had been encouraged by co-stars.
Supporters cited lessons from other high-profile cases as shaping D'Acampo's approach to the allegations. A friend told the Mail the chef has kept a low profile and avoided publicly disparaging anonymous complainants while continuing to post upbeat cooking videos with his wife and family on social media, where he has a large following.
The Daily Mail report lists several overseas projects said to be on D'Acampo's calendar. He is reported to be making a guest appearance as a judge on an episode of MasterChef Malta, will perform two live theatre shows in Montreal and Toronto and film a video series titled An Italian in Canada. The article also says a pilot for a U.S. show called Spaghetti Wars, filmed last year, is due to air this autumn and that he plans to spend the winter in Australia, where he has commercial plans including new restaurants and talks about future television projects.
D'Acampo has publicly denied the allegations. When ITV News reported the complaints in February, his legal team said he did not recognise the incidents described. D'Acampo told ITV News: "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."
The ITV News investigation said dozens of people who had worked with D'Acampo over many years had lodged complaints about his conduct on shows including Gino's Italian Express, Gordon, Gino and Fred's Road Trip and Gino's Italian Family Adventure. The ITV News report said no complaints had been made about his appearances on BBC programmes.
The broader television industry has seen varied outcomes for presenters accused of misconduct. The Mail's account cites cases such as MasterChef host Gregg Wallace, who apologised after comments about complainants prompted a backlash and led to his dismissal from the programme, and opera singer Wynne Evans, who lost a BBC contract after a separate incident. By contrast, John Torode, removed from MasterChef by the BBC after an upheld complaint, has continued to appear on other ITV programming.
Those supporting D'Acampo told the Daily Mail they hope his overseas visibility and commercial successes will help restore his reputation and make a UK comeback more palatable to broadcasters. ITV and D'Acampo's representatives did not provide new comment to the paper beyond previous statements.
As broadcasters continue to assess past complaints and set standards for on-set behaviour, D'Acampo's reported strategy underscores the commercial and reputational complexities faced by television personalities seeking to return to public roles after allegations of inappropriate conduct.