Correspondent Sejal Karia and Senior Producer Liz Little investigate claims of inappropriate behaviour by TV chef Gino D’Acampo spanning more than a decade
Gino D’Acampo is facing new claims of ‘bullying’ and ‘intimidation’ on the set of television productions, following an ITV News investigation.
Several former crew members described feeling “belittled”, “humiliated” and of having a “fear of him” while working on programmes which aired on ITV, between 2010 and 2024.
The fresh accusations follow dozens of earlier claims made to ITV News of sexually inappropriate behaviour by the presenter.
A former television executive has spoken publicly for the first time in order to address claims about Mr D’Acampo, who has been building a successful career overseas in recent months.
She says more needs to be done to protect freelancers, particularly in mitigating power imbalances, who largely feel they are unable to act as whistleblowers when incidents do occur.
‘There were no repercussions for Gino’
Sue Fowler was the most senior production member on the set of Mr D’Acampo’s 2022 cookery series, ‘Gino’s Italy: Like Mamma Used to Make’.
She claims that concerns she raised about his behaviour were not taken seriously “because Gino brings in money.”
The former Head of Production told ITV News she filed a complaint after the conduct she witnessed by Mr D’Acampo, when a freelance crew member collapsed on location.
Describing the incident, which took place on a beach in Naples, Ms 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.”
She said a lifeguard and fixer instructed her to call an ambulance as they suspected the crew member was having a heart attack.
Ms Fowler said that, during the incident, Mr D’Acampo told the crew that they should “package him up and send him back like they do on Amazon Prime.”
She claims the TV presenter went on to say: “People live, people die. Anyone who gives a f*** about this production will follow me down to the beach and start filming now. Anyone who doesn’t can stay up here.”
Another crew member working on the set told ITV News they heard Mr D’Acampo say: “If he is going to die, he better die quietly.”
Ms Fowler said she was “absolutely distraught” and “horrified” by the comments and that she “couldn’t carry on” working on the production.
She said she found Mr D’Acampo “extremely intimidating and bullying” and that he “humiliated people”. She claims that crew members had a “fear of him”.
The crew member who fell ill eventually did recover.
ITV News has seen a report compiled by senior staff members working on the programme – which was made by the production company Betty TV – detailing the incident at the time.
Unsure whether her complaints were passed on to ITV – the channel which had commissioned the programme – Ms Fowler enlisted an intermediary to send her complaint anonymously to the broadcaster.
The email, which ITV News has seen, reports that Mr D’Acampo said: “Whether someone dies on this set is not my problem. I don’t care about him.”
It added that “Gino D’Acampo’s demeanour was one of anger, aggression, and he was intimidating and bullying.”
“Gino’s behaviour… is not materially disputed”
An ITV lawyer responded to the email saying, “We are very sorry for the upset this incident will have caused to the complainant and others.”
It went on to say that “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.”
They also confirmed Mr D’Acampo completed online training modules, including “Tackling Harassment and Bullying at Work and Mental Health Awareness at Work”.
“We consider that the production company’s actions in reminding Gino about the correct channels of communication and expectations around his behaviour on a later shoot, were reasonable and appropriate steps to take in order to try to ensure that there was no possibility of a similar incident occurring.”
Ms Fowler told ITV News that she felt “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.”
She says that there has been a “direct impact” on her career “as a result of what has happened” claiming that she has been “blacklisted” by the industry.
“You’re only as good as your last job, so you can’t put your head above the parapet, you can’t make a complaint. Because if you do, then potentially you’re not going to work again.”
Since ITV News’ first investigation, ITV has not commissioned any further programmes with Mr D’Acampo.
“If my complaint had been taken seriously, those perhaps wouldn’t have happened”
Ms Fowler also told ITV News that she feels that if her “complaint had been taken seriously” by the production company and ITV, further incidents with Mr D’Acampo could have been avoided.
The email exchange from the ITV lawyer claimed that the action taken by production company Betty TV was sufficient to “try” and ensure “there was no possibility of a similar incident occurring”.
But ITV News has been told by a number of production crew members on other programmes that other incidents did occur.
ITV News understands there were several concerns raised on the set of the 2023 Betty TV production ‘Gino’s Italy: Secrets of the South’, which was broadcast on ITV.
These concerns were described as “crude language” and “unacceptable behaviour” by Mr D’Acampo, particularly to women.
And also, that same year, on the Betty TV production ‘Emission Impossible’, which was also broadcast on ITV.
Crew members told ITV News that there were at least ten calls made to ITV’s anonymous hotline with concerns about Mr D’Acampo’s conduct.
They also claimed that a senior member of Betty TV’s welfare team spoke to all crew on set to discuss concerns about the presenter’s behaviour.
ITV News contacted the production company responsible for the filming of ‘Gino’s Italy: Like Mamma Used to Make’.
A spokesperson for Betty TV, as part of the Objective Media Group, said: “Objective Media Group is committed to the welfare and well-being of all its production staff and has robust Duty of Care protocols and procedures in place for all cast and crew, including on-screen presenters and experts, that we review regularly.
“Betty TV and Objective Media Group carried out a comprehensive investigation into an incident that occurred during the location filming of Gino’s Italy: Like Mamma Used to Make. Following the conclusion of the investigation, Gino D’Acampo was formally spoken to regarding his conduct, and he completed online and bespoke in-person Anti-Bullying and Harassment training.”
“I wanted the ground to swallow me up”
ITV News can also now reveal that allegations about Mr D’Acampo’s conduct go as far back as 2010.
An anonymous crew member – who we’re calling Stephen – claims he was working on an ITV cookery show, made by a different production company, when he was subjected to an incident of “bullying” by the TV chef.
He says Mr D’Acampo was dissatisfied with his work when he “grabbed me by the shoulders” and said, “you made me look like a c***.”
Stephen added, “[Mr D’Acampo] really, like, shouted it in my face and then threw me to one side and shouted, like, ‘f*** you’ and stormed off.”
He said he felt “belittled”, “small”, and “wanted the ground to swallow [him] up.”
Stephen told ITV News he felt he could not formally report the incident at the time as he feared he would lose his job.
“You just come to know that if talent do something, then you just have to suck it up,” he said.
ITV News – which is made by ITN, an independent production company – has spoken to several crew members on this production who witnessed the incident and corroborate the account of what happened.
A spokesperson for ITV said: “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.”
“Passionate but professional”
A number of people who have spoken with ITV News said they’d had positive experiences working with Mr D’Acampo. One anonymous former colleague told us: “Gino was always a pleasure to work with during my time at This Morning…Off-air Gino didn’t involve himself in the team parties or become overly friendly with members of the team, he was just professional. Passionate but professional.”
Another anonymous colleague said they’d had “some utterly magical moments” working with Gino D’Acampo over the past 12 years. They added: “Does Gino like to have a laugh? Absolutely, but never at the expense of anyone on set or of the production.”
A number of those contacted by ITV News told us they felt unable to comment due to their contracts.
Gino D’Acampo has been approached by ITV News to respond to these allegations. We understand he denies all the allegations, but so far has declined to provide a statement on his position.
He previously told ITV News that “I would not do anything that I thought would upset or distress anyone.”
‘Synonymous with power imbalances”
Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Caroline Dinenage MP, told ITV News that while the television industry has seen “some progress” in recent years, the sector has “become synonymous with power imbalances, where a handful of individuals hold massive, in some cases, career-ending power.”
She confirmed to ITV News that the committee is launching an inquiry into freelance employees working in the television industry in 2026.
“As a Committee we still hear from far too many freelancers who are afraid to report incidents of bullying or harassment because they fear the repercussions. That’s why we will continue to shine a spotlight on this issue.”
The watchdog for standards of behaviour across the TV and Film industry told ITV News that bullying and harassment in the industry is widespread.
A spokesperson for the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) said: “Too many people feel unable to report instances of bullying, harassment and discrimination because the consequences of making a complaint can feel too great, particularly for freelancers who often feel the power dynamics are against them if reporting concerns about established figures.”
The industry-endorsed CIISA Standards were launched in February to set unified minimum expectations for behaviour – and for safely reporting and resolving concerns.
They said their next “urgent” step is the launching of an anonymous reporting portal for whistleblowers, who can receive independent advice and support to resolve their concerns.
In May 2023, ITV announced it had instructed Jane Mulcahy KC to carry out an external review following the departure of Phillip Schofield from This Morning after 20 years on the show. Days after leaving, Schofield admitted to lying about an “unwise, but not illegal” affair he had with a younger colleague on the show.
The announcement prompted a public conversation about the power dynamic between on-screen personalities and more junior members of staff within the television industry.
The review concluded there was “no finding of a ‘toxic’ culture” at the ITV programme. Mulcahy added she had “no doubt that senior management are absolutely wedded to the importance of an open culture…But this culture is still not filtering down to junior employees, many of whom remain convinced that to speak out will have a detrimental impact on their careers.”
The BBC cut ties with TV host Gregg Wallace earlier this year, following the publication of an independent investigation into his conduct. It followed what the BBC described as “a substantial number of allegations of inappropriate conduct spanning 19 years.”
Following ITV News’ earlier investigation into Gino D’Acampo’s alleged misconduct, the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy warned broadcasters to “get their house in order” or face government action.
Though Sue Fowler and Stephen believe very little has changed across the television industry, and felt compelled to share their experience with ITV News in the wake of Mr D’Acampo’s denials.
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