ALDO ZILLI OF FAMILY, OPENS UP ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE Celebrity Hunted AND BEING HOMELESS
CELEBRITY CHEF ALDO ZILLI AND HIS WIFE NIKKI TALK TO ok!’s EMILY WHITWAM ABOUT MARRIAGE, FAMILY LIFE AND ‘CELEBRITY HUNTED’
When OK! meets up with celebrity chef Aldo Zilli and his wife Nikki, they’re cheerfully cooking up a storm in the kitchen. ‘You’re going to get this rolling pin over your head,’ laughs former model Nikki, who turns 43 on bonfire night, in response to her husband playfully mocking her modelling abilities.
The pair tied the knot back in 2005 and are parents to son Rocco, 13, and 11-yearold daughter Twiggy. ‘I’m quite strict,’ says Aldo. He also has a 35-year-old daughter, Laura, who is mum to son Zachary. ‘Family is everything to me,’ he adds.
While the couple appear more content than ever, it’s easy to forget how far Aldo has come from his humble beginnings. At just
16, he spent a month and a half living on the streets of Munich after moving there from Italy. He recently explained: ‘I was a rebel teenager with seven brothers and one sister. I was the youngest so I just wanted to do my own thing, in a different country, so I did. I went to Germany, but I didn’t realise that you needed money for a flat, that you needed somewhere to live and you needed a job. I didn’t have any of those.’
Now, after working his way to the top of the culinary industry, Aldo has turned his expertise to restaurant consultancy, and most recently ditched his chef whites to go on the run for two weeks in aid of Stand Up To Cancer on Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted.
Here, the couple talk about Aldo’s inspiration for teaming up with fellow chef Jean-christophe Novelli on the show, his journey overcoming living on the streets and giving up his restaurant work…
Tell us about Celebrity Hunted...
Aldo: Firstly, I’m a big fan of the show and the cause. Jean-christophe is someone I’ve known for 30 years and when I found out about his little boy, who suffered from cancer, I wanted to cry. Being in each other’s pockets is intense, though – you never normally get two head chefs in one kitchen! And you really miss your family…
Nikki: I remember his last call to me [before they set off]. Aldo was really emotional.
We normally speak every hour. Especially to organise the kids. You have to be fit to take part. I lost a stone in preparation by giving up my favourite foods, like pasta.
Do you share parenting roles equally? Aldo: Yes, but I’m quite strict. I grew up with nothing as the youngest of nine children. I can afford private schools, but I took them out. I want them to be real.
Nikki: It’s about teamwork. I don’t like to give my children choices. Phones get taken away at dinner time. I don’t want my children looking down at their phone, it’s rude. We spoil them with time and kindness instead.
Are the kids enjoying seeing their dad on TV? Aldo: Rocco is so proud to tell his friends. He’s a proper teenager now!
Nikki: I’ve had to try and make it as normal as possible at home for the kids because we’re a very close family. I suffer with anxiety and have to explain when I’m having a bad day, but Rocco just says: ‘Don’t worry Mummy, can I make you a chamomile tea?’ I open up to them and they understand me.
What’s Twiggy like?
Aldo: My little Twiggy is such a nice person, but don’t upset her, she’s fiery!
Aldo, you walked your daughter Laura down the aisle last year. How proud is she of all your achievements?
Laura’s always been proud of me – she’s older and understands more. I was 25 when I had her. I then had my first restaurant at 27. It was a big beginning for me and unfortunately I missed out on her first few years of growing up. It was tough to stay alive in business in Soho. We had the mafia in those days. I started feeding A-list celebrities and I never looked back.
Who has been your most memorable celebrity guest in your restaurant?
Aldo: Freddie Mercury. He was a legend and became a very good friend. He used to take us back to his house and play the piano. But there was no social media back then. You had real friends. If a celebrity came to my restaurant, it wasn’t on Instagram – it was privacy for them. I partied way too much. My success was my personality.
Was that how you both met? Nikki: I was modelling for Versace, which was opposite Aldo’s restaurant in Covent Garden and I went on a date there. I thought Aldo was the head waiter! Then one night my best friend met me from work, Aldo pulled up with his roof down and invited us in. I told him: ‘Only if I can join you.’ It was so forward! My biggest fear in life is swimming near sharks and he only fed me shark risotto. I knew he was the one.
Do you have date nights now? Nikki: At home once a week. I’m confident that what I do cook is Mama Zilli-style. I don’t like Aldo interfering in the kitchen. He’s very messy.
Nikki, were you nervous about cooking for Aldo for the first time after you met?
I was confident. I have Italian family and spent my childhood there. There was no question that one day I’d marry an Italian.
Aldo: Her mum, Maureen, called me bald and chubby when we first met! She sadly lost her husband Brian when he was young; Nikki never recovered.
Nikki: It was all within six months. My dad was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Losing him really knocked my confidence. I was shooting on the set of James Bond when I got the call. Thankfully I made it in time – my daddy was waiting for me.
What was your wedding like without your dad, Nikki?
Aldo and I married in 2005 and my dad passed away in 2002. Dad gave me away at his last birthday on March 4 at Aldo’s restaurant in Soho and passed away two months later. After a few years, we got married in Barbados on his birthday, barefoot on the beach. I felt my dad’s presence. Then I fell pregnant with Rocco and he was born naturally on my dad’s birthday. That’s why we called him Rocco Brian Zilli. I’m very spiritual.
Would you renew your vows? Nikki: Definitely – next year.
What’s the secret to a happy marriage? Aldo: You have to be scared of your wife. She does everything for me, why would I disrespect her?
Nikki: I’m very protective over Aldo. I almost cry if he has to go away for work. Aldo’s not only my husband, he’s my soulmate. We’ve had hard times, too. Aldo: 10 years ago we decided to sell my restaurant chain to spend more times as a family. I then started a restaurant consultancy company.
You’ve done a lot of work with the charity Centrepoint, an organisation helping young homeless people. Is that because of your own experience? Aldo: Absolutely, I was a homeless teen in Germany. Centrepoint is based in Soho, which was my home for 35 years. I had restaurants and flats there and I’ll never forget coming home late at night and seeing people sleeping on my doorstep. I often opened my flat for them and gave them food. I also sold The Big Issue in my restaurants. I’m a big fan of Diana, Princess of Wales who was a patron of the charity, which Prince William has taken over. I’ve met him, he’s amazing, just like his mum.
Has being homeless shaped the person you are now?
Aldo: A hundred per cent. It’s always in the back of your mind. You never want to go back to having nothing. Money isn’t everything, though. That’s why I teach my children that it’s not the be all and end all.
Have you been approached by any other reality TV shows?
Aldo: Yes, but I’m picky. I want to carry on my profession – but never say never! ‘CELEBRITY HUNTED’ IS ON SUNDAYS AT 9PM ON CHANNEL 4. FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO DONATE TO STAND UP TO CANCER, PLEASE GO TO CHANNEL4.COM/SU2C.