Gino D'Acampo's time in prison and Paul Young's reaction to chef's rise to fame
Years before he rose to fame as one of the nation's favourite TV chefs, Gino D'Acampo's first connection to the showbiz world came about when broke into a famous musician's house.
Gino, 47, spent two years in prison back in the late 1990s after breaking into Streetband and Q-Tips singer Paul Young's home - with Gino being caught by the police thanks to a discarded cigarette.
Fast-forward a couple of decades and Gino is one of the nation's most beloved TV stars - with Love of the Common People singer Paul, 67, even forgiving the cheeky Italian chef and meeting up with the man who robbed his house in 2009.
Gino was just 21-years-old and working as a waiter at The Orchard restaurant in London when he entered Paul's home in Mill Hill, North London, and helped himself to guitars worth £4,000 and a platinum record.
Paul Young forgave Gino D'Acampo and even requested an invite to one of his restaurants (Redferns)
The TV chef reached out to the singer before his stint in the jungle (Ken McKay/ITV)Paul got most of his property back following the break in and Gino - who had only been living in England for a couple of years - was caught when his DNA matched tests on cigarette ends he left in the star's bedroom during the robbery. The This Morning chef was sentenced to two years in prison - something he now says helped him "grow up".
Gino D'Acampo says 'there is no need' to call his wife when he's away for work
In 2019, the TV star told Birmingham Live that the crime was a "mistake". "It was a very crucial moment of my life. It was about embracing something negative and turning it into something positive," he said to the publication. "I was a very young boy... you make those mistakes. The secret is to learn and to move on."
Gino's criminal past didn't come to light until 2009, when the dad-of-three appeared on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! The Family Fortunes host contacted Paul personally to apologise before heading Down Under and eventually becoming King of the Jungle.
"I don't hold it against him. He said it was bad and he apologised, and I did get most of the stuff back," Paul said in 2012. "Maybe he needed his wrist slapping and he got that. He said he was in a terrible place at that time and wanted to turn his life around."
The Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home) hitmaker went on to admit he had noticed Gino become a household name but never once thought of revealing the TV chef's stint in prison. He told the Evening Standard: "I take it with a pinch of salt really. You've got to have a sense of humour. He wanted to meet to say his apologies. I thought that was nice, then he went into I'm A Celebrity and I thought, 'Ah, now I know why.'
"I decided to do the gentlemanly thing and not say anything. I just said, 'I hope I get an invite to your new restaurant.' I don't know if he's got a restaurant, but if he has and he's not invited me then I'm p***ed off. He and I should do something stupid like collaborate on a show or book."
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