Gino D’Acampo maintains cheerful public image as he meets young fans amid misconduct investigation-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro

Gino D’Acampo has shared a very upbeat video from a meet and greet with his young fans as allegations of misconduct against him rage on.

The TV chef, 48, has been hit by ‘dozens’ of accusations spanning over a decade, uncovered by an ITV News investigation.

His alleged behaviour has been described as ‘unacceptable’ and ‘distressing’, which is said to have included sexualised comments and aggressive language on sets.

Italian star D’Acampo has ‘firmly denied’ the string of allegations, saying in a statement to the broadcaster that they were ‘simply not in [his] nature’.

He also said the stories surrounding him currently have been ‘deeply upsetting’.

However, it seems the Family Fortunes host is keen to maintain a positive public image, as he took to Instagram this weekend to spread some love.

Gino D’Acampo has shared a cheery video from a meet and greet with young fans amid an investigation into alleged misconduct (Picture: Instagram)

The TV chef kissed a young girl on the hand at a cookbook signing (Picture: Instagram)

D’Acampo posted the video on social media, seemingly trying to maintain a positive public image (Picture: Instagram)

In a video filmed inside an Asda supermarket, D’Acampo chats and laughs with children who have queued to meet him while promoting his latest cookbook.

The former This Morning personality, who also has a range of appliances with Asda, beams as he hugs the kids and kisses one little girl on the back of her hand.

He is seen taking selfies with their parents and signing copies of his Airfryer Cookbook for older fans, with a long line forming inside the store as plenty gathered to have a one-on-one moment with D’Acampo.

D’Acampo captioned his post to 2.2million followers: ‘Always fantastic to meet my fans, you guys are just awesome.’

‘Thank you ASDA for having us… 😎xx’, he added.

D’Acampo left his comments open, with loyal supporters flocking to send motivational messages.

User anita.marinelli82 urged him to ‘be strong’, while andreawilliams030581 declared: ‘We stand with you, Gino!!!!’

Dozens of allegations have been made against the star (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

His TV shows, including Family Fortunes, have been pulled from schedules (Picture: ITV)

His video comes after former I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! campmate Kim Woodburn launched a scathing attack on D’Acampo, accusing him of being a ‘full-of-himself little pig’.

The Celebrity Big Brother icon suggested that D’Acampo, who won I’m A Celeb in 2009, was given a ‘good edit’ to portray him in a glowing light.

However, in real life, Woodburn alleges he was a ‘vile man’ who made her feel uncomfortable by stroking his crotch, cheating during trials, and swearing at the crew.

She alleges that he had to be escorted off-set at one point.

In one anecdote, Woodburn recalled a specific incident when D’Acampo stroked his private parts and spoke to his penis.

‘He used to stand over a log and stroke his privates over his shorts. He’d talk to his penis, saying, “I know you haven’t had any sex, but when you get out of here, you will get so much”.’

She recalled that he called his penis ‘deprived and neglected’.

Former campmate Kim Woodburn branded him ‘vile’ as she shared her experiences of their time together (Picture: Brian Cassey/REX/Shutterstock)

The Italian star has denied the accusations surrounding him (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

On the alleged animosity between D’Acampo and members of the production team, Woodburn recalled a time when filming had to be cut short as ‘two men took him by the arm and forced him off the set back to the camp.’

‘They should have thrown him off the show,’ she stated. ‘Ghastly it was.’

Amid the allegations about D’Acampo, all of his shows from upcoming ITV schedules have been pulled.

‘He’s in a lot of trouble and ITV don’t want to be in a BBC situation [with Gregg Wallace] or have a repeat of Schofield so they are covering all their bases,’ an insider told MailOnline.

It was reported in December that D’Acampo was ‘slowly being sidelined’ by ITV after allegedly facing a string of inappropriate behaviour claims.

The latest investigation findings show that at least one production company that worked with the chef was aware of the concerns raised but continued to work with him.

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