Under-fire 42-year-old TV chef Gino D’Acampo has angered fans by his treatment of live animals with one vowing to go vegetarian after watching his ‘upsetting’ video
TV chef Gino D’Acampo has provoked fury after uploading an ‘alarming’ cooking video involving two cute live quails.
Gino – battling allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour which has seen ITV drop the star – caused outrage with the clip on social media. Seen before he prepares a meal, the 42-year-old kisses the live creatures in the first shot after grabbing them tight. Then, in the follow up, the Italian dangles the animals’ corpses as Bob Marley’s song Three Little Birds plays, before plating up the cooked quails.
He captioned the video: “And that’s how it’s done!!!… Chargrilled Quails with zucchine and garlic vinaigrette. The perfect summer’s dish… Ask your butcher for quails, try it and let me know.” But his actions have enraged fans, who hit out the telly star for his treatment of the animals. MirrorOnline have approached Gino for his response to their response.
“I’m not a vegan, but this anthropocentric exhibitionism disgusts me,” one told him. Another hit out, saying: “Disturbing and upsetting. It’s like showing a cute puppy and then showing it euthanized.” A third person told the star: “I just feel numb and thinking now about becoming a vegetarian tbh.”
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The star took a step away from public life following allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour aimed at him – claims he strongly denies. As a result former This Morning host Gino was removed from ITV’s programming in February. ITV reported that dozens of former staff and freelancers made allegations about working with Gino, calling his behaviour over a reported 12 year period “unacceptable,” “distressing,” and “horrendous”.
Since the allegations, his shows have been pulled from ITV’s schedule. Gino, 48, “firmly denied” accusations of inappropriate behaviour including using sexualised and aggressive language over a period of 12 years made following an ITV News investigation, and it has been reported he is using his time to flog his property.
He said the claims against him were “simply not in my nature”. Amid the reports, it was claimed Gordon Ramsay, his co-star in Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip, had distanced himself from the presenter. But Gino insists they’re still firm friends. Now the Italian presenter has revealed plans to return to telly with a new travelogue, to be filmed later this year.
Responding to the claims in their entirety in a statement to ITV News, Gino 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.
“I am a father, husband and have worked with well over 1,500 people on around 80 productions in my career, which I have been so proud of. I take such matters extremely seriously and the suggestion that I have acted in an improper way against is deeply upsetting.”
Gino made some crass remarks in radio interview last week as he returns to spotlight. In sexualised comments about women’s bodies, he told show hosts that a “real man” wants women to have “things to grab”, while explaining that he prefers a curvier figure.
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