Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Paul Young: Gino’s crime hit me again after I lost my Stacey
Star’s pain over TV chef burglary
PAUL Young has told of how the impact of Gino D’acampo’s 1998 burglary really hit home after he lost wife Stacey.
The TV chef raided the singer’s house when he was 21, stealing items including his £4,000 guitar collection and a platinum disc.
While Paul got most of his stuff back he never recovered music with precious memories of Stacey.
And as he grieves for her following her death from brain cancer in January, the pain of losing them is especially keen.
Asked how he feels about Gino now, Paul said: “It’s hard to say really. I’ve got mixed feelings about it. When Stacey went there were certain bits of music I never got back.
“Let’s say that – and that hurt me.”
Paul, 62, added of the robbery: “I try to keep a light-hearted attitude on that. He gets enough stick on social networking – he doesn’t need my help as well.”
Gino, 42, was arrested after his DNA was found on a cigarette butt at Paul’s house in Mill Hill, London. He was jailed for two years.
Paul, who recently appeared on This Morning, where Gino is a regular feature, has previously revealed the chef called to apologise for the raid ahead of his turn in I’m A Celebrity in 2009.
And the pop star, who starts a tour next month, has publicly stated that he forgives Gino.
He said: “Maybe he needed his wrist slapping and he got that. He said he was in a terrible place and wanted to turn his life around.”
Paul, who married Stacey in 1987, said he is now trying to get used to his house feeling “empty” without her.
On the prospect of dating again, he said: “Maybe but I can’t even think about that now.”
Paul’s 35 Years of No Parlez Tour starts in September. Details and tickets at seetickets.com
When Stacey went there were certain bits of music I never got back... and that hurt me PAUL YOUNG WHEN ASKED HOW HE FEELS ABOUT GINO NOW