TV chef Gino D'Acampo denies inappropriate behaviour claims

Celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo has denied a number of allegations of inappropriate and intimidating behaviour on the set of his television programmes.

The claims came to light in an investigation published by ITV News, which said it had spoken to "dozens" of people who accused him of "unacceptable", "distressing" and "horrendous" comments.

In a statement to ITV News via his legal team, D'Acampo "firmly denied" the "deeply upsetting" allegations.

BBC News has approached his representative for comment.

ITV News published a number of allegations from anonymous accusers who said they had worked with D'Acampo on TV productions. BBC News has not spoken to his accusers nor has it verified their claims.

They accused him of aggressive behaviour, using abusive language during outbursts on set and using sexualised language.

His behaviour allegedly left some production staff fearful and uncomfortable, ITV News reported.

In response, D'Acampo "firmly denied" the claims, which he said dated back over 10 years. He said he had "never been made aware of these matters previously".

A statement continued: "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," he said, adding that the suggestion that he acted in an improper way was "deeply upsetting".

D'Acampo, 48, has been a regular on UK television since the early 2000s. He has primarily worked for ITV, including on a number of cooking and travel shows, as well as making appearances on other entertainment programmes.

The Italian-born chef and broadcaster has also made appearances on BBC programmes.

In a statement, ITV said production companies "have the primary responsibility for the duty of care of everyone they work with".

The broadcaster said it had "strengthened" policies about what standards they expect from production companies it works with in the last five years.

A statement continued: "All of the concerns and complaints raised by those who have spoken to ITN [the producer of ITV News] describe behaviour which is inappropriate and unacceptable.

"Most of them were not reported to ITV at the time. Where issues have been raised with ITV action has been taken."