Gennaro Sheffield D’Acampo, best known as Gino D’Acampo, is a celebrity chef born in Naples, Italy, in July 1976. He has appeared in multiple cooking shows and television series. D’Acampo is famous for his mischievous and sometimes hot-headed personality. Although he is relatively well-known, there are plenty of facts that people do not know about this celebrity Chef. Here are 30 Gino D’Acampo facts that you probably did not know.
30 Gino D’Acampo Facts
Gino D’Acampo Facts About His Personal Life
1. D’Acampo Grew Up in Italy
Although he now lives in England, Gino D’Acampo is Italian born and bred. According to Wikipedia, he was born in a town called Torre del Greco in Naples, Campania. He is from a big family, and he grew up eating traditional Italian cuisine. He has described it as a traditional Mediterranean diet that consists of healthy fish, meat, fruit, and vegetables.
2. He Moved to London at the Age of 19
D’Acampo lived in Italy until he was 19. He then moved to London. England, to work in The Orchard Restaurant. He then moved to Surrey, where he worked at the Cambio Restaurant.
3. Is Gino D’Acampo Married and Does He Have Children?
Who is Gino D’Acampo’s wife? Gino D’Acampo has been married to Jessica since 2002. Together, the couple has three children. Their daughter is called Mia, and their two sons are Luciano and Rocco.
4. Cooking Runs in His Family
It is hardly surprising that Gino D’Acampo chose to embark on a career in food, as cooking is something that runs in his family. Cooks Info says that his grandfather was the head chef for Costa Cruise Ships before opening a restaurant. At the age of 11, Gino D’Acampo walked into his grandfather’s restaurant, and he realized that he wanted a career as a chef.
5. He Lives in Hertfordshire
One of the Gino D’Acampo facts his fans want to know is about where he lives. Although Gino D’Acampo started life in Italy and lived in London and Surrey following his move to England, he now lives in Hertfordshire. He shares his family home with his wife, Jessica, and their three children. D’Acampo paid a staggering £1.25 million for the Hertfordshire townhouse, which boasts original features and a huge kitchen.
Gino D’Acampo Facts About His Professional Life
6. D’Acampo Has an Italian Food Range
Although he is probably best known for his television appearance, D’Acampo has many professional interests away from the camera. One of his business interests is that he is the co-owner of Bonta Italia Ltd., a supplier of Italian ingredients.
7. He Was a Recipe Developer for Tesco
Another of his former professional interests was working on recipe development for Tesco. Specifically, he created recipes for their Tesco Finest range.
8. He Has an iPhone App
Following his success as a television celebrity alongside his career as a chef, Gino D’Acampo started releasing iPhone apps relating to food and cooking. The first of these was ‘Gino D’Acampo- Eating Italian,’ which he released in 2010.
9. D’Acampo Served as a Team Captain on Celebrity Juice
Gino D’Acampo first became a regular on ‘Celebrity Juice’ in 2014. He took over Holly Willoughby’s role as a team captain temporarily while she took maternity leave. He was a big hit with viewers of the series and returned the next season as a regular panellist. In 2015, Fearne Cotton took maternity leave, and he reprised his role as a team captain.
10. He Made a Travel and Food Series with Gordon Ramsay and Fred Sirieix
D’Acampo’s most recent appearances on television have been with Gordon Ramsay and Fred Sirieix in the series ‘Gordon, Gino, & Fred: Road Trip’. In the first series, they visited each of their native countries: Scotland, France, and Italy. The second series took them on a road trip around the United States. There is a third series of the show underway.
11. D’Acampo Has Released 16 Books
In addition to his career in television, Gino D’Acampo has released 16 cooking books. His first, ‘Fantastico!’, was published in 2007. His most recent cookery books are the 2021 book Gino’s Italian Family Adventure and the 2022 book Gino’s Italy: Like Mamma Used to Make.
12. He First Appeared on Television in 2004
The chef made his first television appearance in 2004. The producers chose him for his knowledge of olive oils and his ability to mix different oils. Gino appeared as an expert to talk about olive oil on a series called ‘Great Food Live.’ It led to further appearances on television, including a six-part series called ‘An Italian in Mexico’ in 2005.
13. He is a Regular on This Morning
Gino first appeared on the British magazine series ‘This Morning’ in 2009. He has since had a regular cooking slot on the show. He often brings the show’s presenters, Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, to their knees with laughter, as his accent means that he unusually pronounces some words. His slots often have innuendo.
14. Where Did Gino D’Acampo Train as a Chef?
On the official Gino D’Acampo website, it states that the chef began his culinary training at the age of 15. He completed a course at the Luigi de Medici Catering College. There, he learned the skills needed to become the successful chef he is today.
15. He Has Appeared on Televised Cooking Competitions
Gino has appeared as a professional chef on more than one cooking competition series. One of his first was ‘Ready, Steady, Cook!’ This series involved two contestants bringing a selection of their favourite ingredients on the show, for which Ainsley Harriott was once a presenter. The contestants were then each paired with a professional chef who had a limited time to produce the best dishes possible with the ingredients chosen by the contestants. D’Acampo was also the celebrity chef in a series called ‘Chef vs Britain’, in which he would compete against amateur cooks from around the UK.
16. He Won ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’
Gino’s became better known around the UK in 2009, as not only did he start presenting the slot on ‘This Morning’, but he also appeared as a contestant on ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ Not only was he a popular contestant amongst his fellow campmates, but he went on to win the series and the title of the king of the jungle.
Gino D’Acampo Facts About Controversies
17. He Served Two Years in Prison
Due to his phenomenal success, many people are shocked to discover that Gino D’Acampo has not always been straight-laced. In 1998, he was convicted of breaking into singer Paul Young’s home in North London. Some of the items he stole included a platinum disc and a guitar collection. He was caught when a cigarette butt with his DNA was found outside the property, and he served two years in jail. He has since apologized to Young, who has forgiven him. D’Acampo has said he was going through a dark period in his life, but the experience helped him to turn his life around.
18. Gino D’Acampo Facts: He Caused Controversy on ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’
Not one to shy away from controversy, Gino D’Acampo created a media storm when he was seen killing and eating a rat on ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ along with fellow contestant Stuart Manning. While some people believed that they had done nothing wrong, others rang in to complain that they had committed animal cruelty. Despite winning the series, D’Acampo was arrested after the show and charged with animal cruelty by the Australian police.
19. He Is a Bad Influence on Filming Crews
Gino has admitted that he is a bad influence on the film crew when he is making a series. He likes to go out drinking, and he wants all the team to party with him. While filming for ‘Gino’s Italian Escape’, he was out drinking with the crew until 6 am one morning, and then they had to start the day’s filming just two hours later. The celebrity chef said that he was sweating out alcohol, and the camera was shaking as the cameraman had trembling hands. He is now known as a bad influence, and film crews no longer invite him to have a drink with them.
Gino D’Acampo Facts About His Interests
20. D’Acampo is a Rugby Fan
Although he is not big on actively participating in sports himself, D’Acampo is a fan of watching sports. His favourite sport is rugby. He is a massive fan of the Leicester Tigers rugby team.
21. He Loves Afternoon Naps
This celebrity chef has a busy schedule, so he needs to get his downtime. In an interview with the Daily Record, D’Acampo admitted that he likes to take afternoon naps, and he described himself as being like a little boy because of this routine. Gino says he is the king of napping and explains that it really refreshes him. However, he admits that he snores when he naps.
22. Gino D’Acampo Facts: He Is an ‘Only Fools and Horses’ Fan
D’Acampo has said he loves to just sit in front of the television when he is not working. One of his favourite television series is ‘Only Fools and Horses’, which starred David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst.
23. His Favourite Snack is Wotsits
Despite being a qualified and experienced chef, Gino D’Acampo does not always want gourmet food to eat. He has said that he doesn’t like cooking when he is not a work. His favourite snack to enjoy in front of the television is a packet of Wotsits. He loves to suck them until they melt onto his tongue. Gino also enjoys going to the pub, drinking a pint (or two!) of Guinness, and eating a bag of pork scratchings.
Other Gino D’Acampo Facts
24. He Changed His Middle Name by Deed Poll
Gino D’Acampo’s middle name is ‘Sheffield’, but this has not always been his name. It all started when the chef began appearing on ‘Celebrity Juice’. The host, Keith Lemon, would often joke that he did not believe that D’Acampo was really from Italy, that he was faking his Italian accent, and that he probably came from Sheffield. This led to Lemon repeatedly calling him Gino ‘Sheffield’ D’Acampo. Lemon challenged D’Acampo to change his middle name by deed poll if his team lost that series of ‘Celebrity Juice’, and Lemon then fixed it to make sure that the Italian team lost. Therefore, Gino was forced to officially change his middle name to Sheffield.
25. His Son Dated Gordon Ramsay’s Daughter
In March 2020, the Evening Express reported that D’Acampo learned that his eldest son was dating fellow celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s daughter over a video chat with his son. It wasn’t the best time to find out this information as Ramsay and D’Acampo were filming together for ‘Gordon, Gino, & Fred: American Road Trip’ together. Although Gino did not mind the two dating each other, he thought it would upset Gordon because if the pair married, Gordon’s daughter would become a D’Acampo. Matilda and Luciano are no longer dating.
26. He Does Not Mind Getting Naked In Front of the Camera
Gino is very body-confident and has even appeared on live television stark naked. Viewers have seen him strip off on many occasions, including during ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ and during his road trips with Gordon Ramsay and Fred Sirieix.
27. Gino D’Acampo Facts: What Is Gino D’Acampo’s Net Worth
One of the questions that fans want to know about the Italian chef is ‘What is Gino D’Acampo’s net worth? Gino D’Acampo is one of the most successful celebrity chefs in the UK, reflected in his net worth. It is estimated that Gino D’Acampo’s net worth is around £8 million, which is about $10 million. Despite his wealth, Gino D’Acampo is not one of the richest celebrity chefs in the world. The celebrity chef has made most of his money from his television appearances, but he has also made money from sales of his cookery books.
28. D’Acampo is a Guinness World Record Holder
One of the little-known Gino D’Acampo facts is that he is a Guinness World Record Holder, and he holds the title of no less than six world records. One of these is for ‘running across custard for the longest time’. The Scottish Sun says that another record is for making 22 ravioli in under two minutes, which is impressive even for an Italian chef.
29. He Loves Being Famous
Some celebrities hate their fame and avoid publicity about their personal life as much as possible. However, that is not the case for the Italian chef. When asked if he likes being famous, Gino D’Acampo said that he loved it. He loves people recognizing him, meeting his fans, and the privileges that being famous bring. The chef has said that there is no bad part of fame, and he loves every second of it.
30. D’Acampo Has Signed Women’s Underwear
Gino D’Acampo is often recognized, and he has a large female fanbase. Surprisingly, many of his female fans are older ladies. D’Acampo has said that he has signed women’s underwear on many occasions, including both bras and knickers. However, he draws the line at dirty knickers and will only sign garments if they are clean.
You might also like to read our facts about Andi Oliver, Rachel Khoo, Ree Drummond, Bobby Flay, Yotam Ottonlenghi, Gregg Wallace, Monica Galetti, Curtis Stone, and the Hairy Bikers.