Gino D’Acampo has been hit with a slew of serious allegations about his behaviour behind the scenes on This Morning, with one of his shocking jokes resurfacing

Gino D’Acampo has been embroiled in controversy after being accused of “distressing” and “sexually inappropriate” behaviour, with allegations from numerous individuals spanning over 12 years coming to light, according to ITV News. The celebrity chef has strongly refuted these claims, which he finds “deeply upsetting”.

Amidst this turmoil, a clip from This Morning featuring Gino alongside Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield from November 2021 has resurfaced. In the segment, Gino made a bold joke while conducting a cooking demonstration.

He paid tribute to Ado Campeol, known as “the father of Tiramisu”, by using Holly’s body to illustrate Italian cities. Pointing at her shoulder, he remarked: “In the Belmonte region here is where the Savoiardi biscuit comes from.”

His hand then hovered over her chest as he mentioned: “On the other side is Treviso – so Treviso is where Ado came from so it could be very…” Gino continued his geography lesson, referencing Holly’s belly button, saying: “But your belly button – I was born in Naples which is on your side but I went to school where the Vesuvius is.”

The chef Gino D’Acampo sparked a moment of sheer shock live on air when he made an off-colour remark to presenter Holly Willoughby. During the conversation, he said: “So, it’s more inland, so… er, I can technically say that I spent my youth training and playing around your vagina.”, reports the Mirror.

A stunned Holly couldn’t help but react with an exclamation of disbelief: “Oh my God! ” Her co-host at the time Phillip Schofield, was equally taken aback as Gino seemed unfazed by the reaction to his comment.

Gino defended himself, saying: “There is nothing wrong with that. It is just a word that everybody knows and that’s what I have been doing geographically.”

Attempting to add a dose of humour to the situation, Phil facetiously addressed the camera, saying: “Morning Ofcom,” indicating he expected there would be complaints following Gino’s statement. Holly then recommended that Gino refrain from giving anymore geography lessons.

This cheeky exchange has viewers at home divided, with several voicing their discomfort with Gino’s choice of words. On social media, one viewer remarked: “Gino you’re going over the mark #thismorning,” while another simply posted: “Wtf Gino #ThisMorning.”

One viewer pointed out: “Talk about vaginas all you want but don’t make it personal to a married woman who is trying to do her job. It’s not funny and it’s not clever. #ThisMorning.”

In response to the recent claims, Gino issued a statement to ITV News. He 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.”