ITV responds as Gino D'Acampo faces fresh "bullying" and "intimidation" claims following investigation

Gino D’Acampo is facing new allegations of bullying and intimidation following an ITV investigation.

The TV presenter was sacked by ITV earlier this year after dozens of allegations of misconduct spanning a 12-year period were made against him. He firmly denied these allegations.

Now, more individuals have come forward with allegations, including Sue Fowler, who was the most senior member of production on the set of 2022’s Gino’s Italy: Like Mamma Used to Make.

ITV understands that D’Acampo denies all the allegations, but has so far declined to provide a statement.

Describing an incident while on set in Naples, Fowler said: “[The crew member’s] legs kind of buckle from underneath him, his eyes are kind of rolling back again, sweating profusely and [he] just looks grey.”

Production were advised to call for an ambulance as they suspected the crew member was having a heart attack.

According to Fowler, while the incident was occurring, D'Acampo said that they should “package him up and send him back like they do on Amazon Prime”.

She claimed he went on to say: “People live, people die. Anyone who gives a f**k about this production will follow me down to the beach and start filming now. Anyone who doesn't can stay up here.”

The crew member who fell ill eventually recovered.

Fowler said she was “absolutely distraught” and “horrified" by the comment D'Acampo allegedly made.

She added that she found D’Acampo “extremely intimidating and bullying” and that he “humiliated people”. She claims that crew members were fearful of him.

Senior staff members working on the programme compiled a report – which was made by production company Betty TV – detailing the incident at the time.

Unsure whether her complaints were passed on to ITV, Fowler used an intermediary to send her complaint anonymously to the broadcaster.

An ITV lawyer responded to the email at the time, saying: “We are very sorry for the upset this incident will have caused to the complainant and others.”

They added: “Gino’s behaviour on this shoot, as outlined in your email, is not materially disputed.”

The ITV lawyer also wrote that "before the next production involving Gino with another company... he was reminded of the correct channels of communication and expectations around behaviour on a shoot".

The lawyer also confirmed that D’Acampo had completed online training modules, including “Tackling Harassment and Bullying at Work and Mental Health Awareness at Work”.

Fowler told ITV News that “very little” came from her complaint “because Gino brings in money for ITV, they've never held him accountable".

“Not only was his behaviour tolerated, but it was rewarded. It was rewarded by him getting more commissions, by him fronting more series. There were no repercussions for Gino, there were repercussions for me.”

The ITV News report also featured an interview with an anonymous crew member who claimed he was working on an ITV cookery show in 2010, when he was allegedly sworn at by the TV chef.

A spokesman for Betty TV said it was committed to the welfare of staff, that it had carried out a comprehensive investigation of the incident and had proper processes in place.

He claimed D’Acampo was dissatisfied with his work when he “grabbed me by the shoulders” and said: "you made me look like a c***."

He added: “[D’Acampo] really, like, shouted it in my face and then threw me to one side and shouted, like, ‘f**k you’ and stormed off.”

He said the incident made him feel “belittled” and “small”, and that he “wanted the ground to swallow [him] up".

The anonymous crew member told ITV News that he felt he could not speak up at the time for fear of repercussions.

ITV News also spoke to several people who said they’d had positive experiences working with D’Acampo.

A spokesperson for ITV told the publication: “When issues about Gino D’Acampo's behaviour have been brought to ITV's attention we have looked into them and addressed them.

"It would not be appropriate to comment on individual cases. If a new complaint of inappropriate behaviour, whether historical or current, is raised with us it will be looked into by our Complaints Handling Unit.”

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