Kim Woodburn has slammed under fire Gino D’Acampo over his ‘disgusting’ behaviour during their I’m A Celeb stint in 2009, as he faces allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour.
The TV chef, 48, who won crowned King Of The Jungle, has been rocked by ‘over 40’ allegations of sexually inappropriate and intimidating behaviour over a 12-year period – claims which he denies, saying he finds them deeply distressing.
In response to all allegations, D’Acampo said: ‘I have been told by ITN news that allegations have been made about me acting inappropriately, some dating back over ten years ago’. I have never been made aware of these matters previously and the allegations are firmly denied.
‘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.’
Kim, 82, claimed D’Acampo ‘rubbed his penis through his shorts’ as he struggled being away from his wife, before his foul-mouthed outbursts forced producers to match him out of camp, concluding ITV’s ‘good edit’ which led to his win.
She told The Sun: ‘He used to stand over a log and stroke his penis area over his shorts. He’d talk to his penis saying, ‘I know you haven’t had any sex, but when you get out of here, you will get so much’.
Kim Woodburn has slammed under fire Gino D’Acampo over his ‘disgusting’ behaviour during their I’m A Celeb stint in 2009, as he faces allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour
Kim, 82, claimed Gino ‘rubbed his penis through his shorts’ as he struggled being away from his wife, before his foul-mouthed outbursts forced producers to match him out of camp
ITV News said it has now spoken to ‘over 40 people’ during its investigation, all of whom had either witnessed or experienced alleged inappropriate or intimidating behaviour by the celebrity chef – claims which he denies, saying he finds them deeply distressing
‘He would say his penis was being deprived and neglected, and his wife would give him a good seeing to when he got home. We would all just turn away. It made me uncomfortable because it was vile and crude. It’s not appropriate to do that in front of women. But Gino thinks he can do what he wants.’
Kim claimed the chef treated the crew ‘like garbage’ and after calling one crew member a ‘f***ing bastard’ and ‘c***’ refused to leave the set.
She said: ‘We had to stop filming while two men took him by the arm and forced him off the set back to the camp. They should have thrown him off the show. Ghastly it was’.
MailOnline have contacted Gino’s reps for comment.
ITV declined to comment.
D’Acampo’s TV shows have been removed from the ITV schedule because of the claims.
One woman involved, known as ‘Hannah’, told ITV News: ‘It is all very disappointing, he could have come out and said he was really sorry, that he was going to take some time out and reflect on what had happened and what he’s been accused of. But what he should have said initially that he was sorry that he has hurt all these people. It is classic bully behaviour.’
Dozens of people described their experience of working with the chef as ‘unacceptable,’ ‘distressing’ and even ‘horrendous’, according to the investigation.
Kim, 82, claimed D’Acampo ‘rubbed his penis through his shorts’ as he struggled being away from his wife, before his foul-mouthed outbursts forced producers to match him out of camp, concluding ITV gave him a ‘good edit’ which led to his win
She said ‘He used to stand over a log and stroke his penis area over his shorts. He’d talk to his penis saying, ‘I know you haven’t had any sex, but when you get out of here, you will get so much’
‘He would say his penis was being deprived and neglected, and his wife would give him a good seeing to when he got home’ (Gino and wife Jessica pictured)
Among the allegations are that D’Acampo described a young woman’s breasts as ‘perfect’ and ‘like a mouthful’, and that he threatened to have sex with a colleague’s girlfriend if she did not bring him an ice cream.
At least one production company was reportedly aware of complaints about the Italian star’s behaviour – yet continued to work with him on further TV projects.
The chef has appeared on shows including ITV’s Family Fortunes and recently Gino and Fred: Emission Impossible with Fred Sirieix.
Today, Fred posted on social media for the first time since the allegations against D’Acampo were revealed, uploading a video about his new kitchen.
He posted the footage alongside the caption: ‘My brand new @howdensjoinery kitchen. I’m loving the cosy farmhouse feel inspired by a picture of my lovely grandparents.
‘I wanted this kitchen to feel traditional in style, functional in its design, and practical for everyday use – with Lamona appliances bringing it all together,’ he added. ‘It’s now a space in my home filled with memories, both old and new. What do you think?’
Fred added: ‘Welcome to my new Howdens kitchen, I love it. I want to say a big thank you to the trades people who built it because the quality is second to none and to host in this kitchen is a dream come true.’ Fred is yet to address the allegations made against D’Acampo.’
He is yet to address the allegations made against D’Acampo.
One woman told the investigation that D’Acampo made a vulgar sexual comment towards her during a magazine shoot in 2011.
She claims the celebrity chef said he would like ‘like to turn me over and f*** me up the a*** against the kitchen counter’ in front of the entire crew.
D’Acampo’s TV shows have been removed from the ITV schedule because of the claims
At least one production company was reportedly aware of complaints about the Italian star’s behaviour – yet continued to work with him on further TV projects
The woman said there were laughs from other employees when he made the comment and she was left feeling humiliated.
‘I remember a ripple of laughter,’ she recalled, while others ‘looked nervously into their cups of tea’.
She said the incident left her feeling ‘horror’ and ‘shock’ but admitted she was not surprised nobody intervened.
She said the comment was ‘aggressive’ and she saw it as ‘some kind of powerplay’.
D’Acampo’s legal team firmly denied this allegation. They said: ‘This allegation from almost 15 years ago has never, until now via a media request, been raised or put to Mr D’Acampo.
‘He does not recall it, nor accept that it happened.’
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