HOME & AWAY
Inside Gino D’Acampo’s bizarre marriage… from enjoying ‘single life’ abroad to speaking just ’20 mins a week’ while away
Jess D'Acampo even stood by Gino when he was in prison for two years
HE’S been one of ITV’s biggest stars ever since winning the nation over with his Italian charm on I’m A Celebrity.
But TV chef Gino D’Acampo is now being slowly sidelined by ITV bosses amid a string of claims about inappropriate behaviour.
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Gino has been accused of inappropriate behaviour by a woman he worked with between 2006 and 2011 on flagship show This Morning, where he was resident chef, and on Saturday Cooks.
It is understood she decided to speak out as a raft of allegations against the BBC’s MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace came to light.
Gino is accused of jokingly flashing — with crew members on Emission Impossible, his show with Fred Sirieix, offered counselling afterwards.
Gino has now been edged out of Gordon, Gino and Fred: Road Trip after refusing to sign a morality contract clause, and been put on a language and behavioural course by concerned executives.
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The loss of work is sure to be a blow not only to Gino, but also his wife of 22 years, Jess D’Acampo, who has stuck by him through thick and thin - quitting her job to look after their three children when he first hit the big time.
She even stayed with him during his two-year prison stint and the pair have an unconventional relationship, with Gino admitting he still enjoys his "single life" and only calls his wife for 20 minutes a week while 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 clever woman, she knows when to say something and when to bite her tongue."
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2 years in prison
It was rocky at first, and they broke up for a year, but the time they spent apart made their bond stronger and after reconciling, they moved to the UK together in 1995.
It could have almost been over for good in 1998, when Gino was sentenced to two years in prison for burgling singer Paul Young's home.
Gino D'Acampo's wife breaks down in tears as he surprises her vow renewal ceremony on their 20th anniversary in Italy
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Gino stole £4,000 worth of guitars, a platinum record, cash and jewellery from Young's mansion, and was arrested after his DNA was found on a discarded cigarette butt.
While he was locked up, Gino decided 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 they had their first son Luciano, now 22, soon after.
It wasn’t until 2009 that things changed for Gino and Jess.
He was one of the lesser-known campmates when he entered the I’m A Celebrity jungle, alongside the likes of Katie Price and Kim Woodburn.
But Gino won - and, soon after, Jess quit her HR manager job to become a “lady of leisure,” as Gino puts it, and look after their sons, Luciano and Rocci, now 19.
"I clean her car every week. I charge her toothbrush every time the battery is low, and I always bring her a bottle of cold water just in case she's thirsty at night,” he added.
They also had a third child, Mia, now 10, in 2014.
'Single life'
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Gino has said he and Jess have “a traditional marriage,” although part of the reason they work is the lack of time they’re in each other’s company.
He told Love Sunday: "Jessica and I don't really spend any time together.
“I think that's one of the reasons we've lasted for 20 years.
“It's a good thing, I don't really want to know everything my wife does, because otherwise she will be boring to me."
My wife goes for dinner with male friends and I go for dinner with female friends or business friends. We are very relaxed.
Gino D'Acampo
Gino has also confessed he enjoys "the single life" while he's away travelling for work, only speaking to his wife 20 minutes a week.
"You need to balance your married life with your ‘single life’,” he previously said.
“There is a time where the family is together, when I’m with my wife and everybody to celebrate holidays and everything like that.
"But there has to also 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 it all.
"Some of my friends talk with their wives for an hour and I'm thinking, 'What the hell are you going to say to your wife every day for an hour that you can't say when you're in person?'"
Gino also says he spends time with other females alone - taking them out for dinner and drinks.
He added: “Do you think that if I wanted to be unfaithful to my wife, I’d need to organise a holiday?
“I can do it anytime and anywhere. So once you get that out of your head, going on holiday alone doesn’t matter.”
'Jess gives me freedom'
Gino has also insisted he and Jess have total trust in each other, and she’s not "jealous" of him being "surrounded by women".
Speaking to Weekend magazine, Gino said: "When I met my wife I realised she was an extremely generous, clever woman.
"My friends' girlfriends stopped them doing things, but from day one Jessica gave me a lot of freedom.
"If you try to cage men it won't work. I can do pretty much what I want. If I say, 'I'm taking friends out' she doesn't say, 'But you've been away for the past week'.
"There's no point having a man around if he doesn't want to be there."
He added to Daily Star: "We allow each other to have our own lives, that means going on holiday with our friends.
“My wife goes for dinner with male friends and I go for dinner with female friends or business friends. We are very relaxed."
TV vow renewal
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In 2021, for their 20th wedding anniversary, Gino surprised Jess with a wedding vow renewal in Puglia, on his TV show, Gino's Italian Family Adventure.
While they were sitting having dinner together in a restaurant, Gino pointed at the waitress, and said: “So the Bella, she’s not really a waiter, she’s going to marry us again."
Shocked, Jessica replied: "Are you being 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 a tablet screen to reveal their children on a video call.
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Mia said: "Mummy you look beautiful, I wish I was there!"
Seeing his tearful mum, Luciano said: "Mum stop crying. It’s a happy day."
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