Gordon Ramsay has finally broken his silence on the misconduct allegations against Gino D'Acampo having starred alongside the Italian chef on the popular Road Trip series.
The 58-year-old chef confirmed he has reached out to both Gino and their co-star Fred Sirieix following the controversy after staying quiet when the allegations first emerged.
ITV has since cut ties with D'Acampo amid claims of "sexually inappropriate" and "intimidating" behaviour spanning 12 years - something the Italian chef has firmly denied.
Speaking to The Standard on Thursday, Ramsay said: "I have reached out to Gino, checked in to make sure he and the family were doing okay. Fred too."
The comments mark the first time Ramsay has addressed the situation publicly and made the statement while attending his Lucky Cat restaurant in London.
His remarks come as ITV continues its investigation into D'Acampo's alleged behaviour, which saw their TV series, Gordon, Fred and Gino's Road Trip, be taken off the schedule - despite it being a staple on ITV since 2018.
Gordon stayed quiet during the first few weeks of Gino's allegations
ITV
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The popular travel series featured the three celebrity chefs exploring different countries and cuisines together.
Last week, more allegations emerged, which claimed that D'Acampo allegedly drew an explicit picture of a female TV producer during live filming, leaving the incident to now become part of the investigation.
The female producer who made the claim said the "unsettling encounter" with the 48-year-old chef occurred during filming of Saturday Cooks! and said D'Acampo sketched a naked woman with legs spread open after offering to draw her portrait.
The producer reportedly told a friend: "I thought it was going to be a harmless caricature. But when he showed me the finished drawing I felt shocked and humiliated."
The trio's ITV programme was pulled from the schedule
ITV
She also claimed D'Acampo made a sexual comment about the leather boots she was wearing - the Italian chef once again denied any wrongdoing.
In a statement, the chef described the claims as "deeply upsetting" and said they were "simply not in my nature", with a spokesperson for D'Acampo saying he was only made aware of these allegations recently when contacted by the press.
The statement added that D'Acampo "does not recollect" the alleged incidents and "does not recognise the allegations or the behaviour which is attributed to him".
Among the allegations against D'Acampo is an incident from a 2012 charity event at Stoke City Football Club where witnesses claim he kissed a footballer's wife on the lips without warning in front of dozens of guests.
One recalled: "As Gino was introduced to the stage, he walked through the audience directly to the table where the footballer and his wife were seated. He then very suddenly grabbed her by the face, and kissed her on the lips."
Former TV presenter Melanie Sykes has criticised D'Acampo and television bosses amid the allegations and called for the industry to "clean out" the "monsters" among its talent.
Fred has publically continued to support Gino, who has denied all allegations
ITV
Co-star Sirieix made a public show of support for D'Acampo when the allegations first emerged and liked one of the Italian's Instagram posts.
D'Acampo posted a video of his meet and greet with fans at an Asda store where he flogged his cook book - before going out for dinner with his wife Jessica Stellina Morrison and Sirireix just 24 hours before his axe from ITV.
