Tony Cowell: Gino D’Acampo on the return of Celebrity Juice
If being Italian were an Olympic sport, TV chef Gino D’Acampo, 41, well known for his saucy innuendoes and fiery personality, would definitely win some kind of medal. The I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 2009 winner – who first rose to fame on This Morning before branching out on shows like Gino’s Italian Escape, There’s No Taste Like Home and, of course, Celebrity Juice – has been married to his British wife Jessica since 2002, and the couple have three children, Luciano, 15, Rocco, 12, and Mia, five. Here, the Neapolitan, who is back with a new series of Celebrity Juice, talks about the ups and downs of fame, the joy of food, and the importance of family.
Gino, you spend every summer with the family in Sardinia, don’t you?
Yes, I have six weeks with the family and it’s the only time in the year when I can spend breakfast, lunch and dinner with my wife and children. That’s very important to me. It’s the only time we can catch up and talk properly as a family. I don’t even answer my phone.
Do you take a rest from cooking on holiday?
No, I actually cook quite a lot because I like to spend this time trying out new recipes for my books. I find that I’m more relaxed in Sardinia, and I get good, fresh ingredients, so I tend to always cook lunch and dinner for the family myself.
You’re expanding your chain of restaurants around the UK. Does this mean you plan to retire from TV?
Not at all – but in the beginning I had this dream that my children would inherit the restaurants; that was my idea. Every parent wants to leave something for their kids. But, in the end, it’s up to them. If they don’t want the business then I don’t care. I just want them to be happy in whatever they choose to do.
What drives you – is it the success, the fame?
It’s not the success and the fact that I get recognised all the time, not any more, anyway. I’ve been doing this for 12 years now. It’s not the money, either – it was in the beginning, but not now. Everybody wants more money, but I don’t. I’m happy with what I have. What still drives me is the fans who want to learn to cook, the people who use recipes from my book and then tweet me to say they cooked it. That makes me happy, and that is what drives me.
Would you say you still enjoy the fame?
I enjoy it much less now. That is why I spend more time in Sardinia, to escape the attention. It’s difficult sometimes. My kids are getting older now and I worry it may affect them. Wherever I go, people want a photo, a selfie. The mobile phone has made it very difficult, it means everyone has a camera with them. So I feel like every time
I go out, I am protecting my kids from pictures in the tabloids or on social media. But I refuse to stay at home and become a recluse, because I understand that the people who want the selfies are the same people who buy my books, and I respect that.
How does your wife, Jessica, cope with all the attention you get?
My wife is the cleverest person I have ever met in my life. First of all, to be married to someone like me must be very hard. I change my mood all the time. I work so many hours and don’t see her. But she knows how to handle me, and I don’t know how she does it. When we go out to a restaurant, people come up to me and fling their arms around me. She just smiles and says, ‘Get on with it, give them a picture, then we can get on with our dinner.’ She is such an incredible woman and she understands me so well. I am a very lucky man.
The 18th series of Celebrity Juice starts this week – can we expect any changes?
I never know what will happen until it does happen. We never meet up beforehand, so it’s a show that runs itself. I think we all get on so well. Holly [ Willoughby], Keith [Lemon] and Fearne [Cotton], we are all like old friends who suddenly meet up again at a party. I think that is why this show works so well. The fact that we never rehearse gives the show that freshness. I won’t be on the show until October – but I am so looking forward to it.
Did you ever think the show would last this long?
Never. When it first started, I knew this was something very different. You either love it or hate it. But we have a very loyal fan base – and, of course, we do a lot of crazy things on there. There is no programme like Celebrity Juice. This is why we have lasted so long.
You recently won a TV Choice award for Gino’s Italian Escapes – did that surprise you?
Yes. But what I think is important is that it was a proper award – one voted for by viewers – so it made me very happy that people like this programme. ITV are very happy, too, and recommissioned the show until 2019.
When is the fifth series due to air?
In October. It’s called Gino’s Italian Escape – Coastal. So we filmed in all the coastal regions of Italy – from Sicily to the island of Elba. It was so beautiful there, and I think people are going to love seeing this.
Celebrity Juice is on ITV2, Wednesdays, 10pm