Fred Sirieix breaks social media cover amid co-star Gino D’Acampo’s ‘inappropriate’ behaviour allegations
Fred Sirieix has returned to social media for the first time since celebrity chef and Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip co-star Gino D’Acampo faced multiple allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour and intimidating conduct.
An ITV News investigation has revealed that D’Acampo faced “numerous” allegations spanning more than 12 years.
Dozens of people have described experiences working with D’Acampo as “unacceptable,” “distressing” and “horrendous,” according to the investigation published yesterday.
Evidence seen by ITV News shows at least one production company was aware of multiple complaints made by crew members about D’Acampo but continued to work with him on further TV programmes.
Those speaking out against the high-profile figure requested their identities be protected, citing fears of professional consequences.
D’Acampo has “firmly denied” the allegations, describing them as “deeply upsetting” in his response to ITV News.
The 48-year-old chef and First Dates star Sirieix worked closely with one another on the hugely successful Road Trip series alongside Gordon Ramsay.
They reunited last year for another TV project without Ramsay after ITV greenlit the travel series, Emission Impossible, featuring the duo.
In the day since ITV News published the allegations against D’Acampo, Sirieix has avoided mentioning the claims but did make a comeback to Instagram to promote another work project he’d been working on.
Collaborating with hardware retailers Howdens, Sirieix ignored mentioning the saga surrounding his former co-star as he promoted the new project he’d collaborated with the company on.
“My brand new @howdensjoinery kitchen. I’m loving the cosy farmhouse feel inspired by a picture of my lovely grandparents,” Sirieix penned on the social media site on Friday alongside a video of him in a Howdens showroom.
He penned: “I wanted this kitchen to feel traditional in style, functional in its design, and practical for everyday use with Lamona appliances bringing it all together. It’s now a space in my home filled with memories, both old and new. What do you think?”
Before long, Sirieix’s followers flooded the comments section of the post, but the majority also avoided mentioning the allegations levelled at D’Acampo.
Among the allegations against the celebrity chef was one woman, identified as Hannah, who described an incident from 2011 where D’Acampo allegedly made a highly sexualised comment during a magazine shoot.
She told ITV News that in front of the entire crew, D’Acampo said he would “like to turn me over and f*** me up the a*** against the kitchen counter.”
Another woman, referred to as Natalie, detailed a later encounter where D’Acampo allegedly opened his door in boxer shorts and jumped on a bed during a location shoot briefing.
“He made reference to his d***, basically saying, ‘Oh, don’t worry, it’s only small’, and sort of flicking it,” Natalie told ITV News.
She described feeling “disgusted” and said it made her consider leaving her job, adding: “I didn’t want to do the production, didn’t want to be anywhere near him.”
Most complainants were freelancers on short-term contracts who feared speaking out would risk future employment opportunities.
Through his legal team, D’Acampo categorically denied all allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour.
“I have been told by ITN news that allegations have been made about me acting inappropriately, some dating back over ten years ago,” D’Acampo said in a statement to ITV News.
“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.”
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D’Acampo added: “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.”
His legal team stated that some of the allegations were considered by D’Acampo to be “a fabricated work of fiction.”
They also noted that many of the claims had never been raised with D’Acampo until ITV News’ request for comment.
ITV has confirmed it has no current plans to work with D’Acampo, with his most recent series of Family Fortunes, filmed in 2023, not scheduled for broadcast.
The broadcaster said all the concerns raised “describe behaviour which is inappropriate and unacceptable” but noted most complaints were not reported to ITV at the time.
ITV emphasised that production companies hold “primary responsibility for the duty of care” of everyone involved in making shows.
The broadcaster has strengthened its policies in recent years, setting up a dedicated Complaints Handling Unit in 2024.
“We can only act where we know that concerns have been raised, and will now be following up on those that had not previously been reported to us,” ITV said in a statement.
The broadcaster encouraged anyone who has experienced inappropriate behaviour while working on an ITV show to raise concerns through their confidential speaking up hotline.