The Italian celebrity chef returned to the show for the first time since Schofield’s departure and made a seriously awkward remark about the disgraced star.
Gino D'Acampo, the renowned Italian TV chef known for his bold personality and culinary expertise, made a highly anticipated return to the set of This Morning.
Having been away in Italy for a month, Gino's comeback took an unexpected turn as he addressed the recent scandal surrounding Phillip Schofield's resignation from the show. With his trademark humor and playful banter, Gino's return proved to be a wild and memorable experience for ITV fans.
Gino's return amid ITV scandal
According to The Mirror, the TV chef returned to the ITV mid-morning show on Tuesday after a month-long trip in Italy. During that time, Phillip Schofield officially resigned from This Morning after a series of dramas came to light.
As per The Evening Standard, Schofield announced his resignation from This Morning in a statement on May 20, 2023. The statement confirmed that he would step down immediately, with his last episode airing on May 18, 2023. The outlet reports the decision was made amidst reports of a rift between Schofield and his co-presenter Holly Willoughby.
Tensions escalated as he admitted in a statement to the Daily Mail on Friday 26th May 2023 that he had previously had an 'unwise, but not illegal' affair with a younger male colleague who had worked with him on This Morning. He stated at the time:
'I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife.'
Following Schofield's admission of misleading information, his talent management expressed disappointment in his actions and decided to end their contract.
Awkward comment about disgraced star
During his cooking segment on This Morning, Gino wasted no time addressing the elephant in the room. He playfully turned to Holly Willoughby and asked, 'Everything is under control. I’m back. I was in Italy for a month. I came back two days ago. Any news I need to know about?' referring to Schofield's resignation and the subsequent revelations about his secret affair.
Holly giggled and replied with a simple 'No,' leaving the studio in an amusingly awkward silence.
The studio fell notably quiet and O’Leary looked on awkwardly before he began chewing his pen.
Many viewers were delighted by Gino's humorous approach to the scandal and took to social media to express their appreciation. Twitter was abuzz with comments praising Gino for addressing the situation head-on. One tweet exclaimed: 'I'm so glad Gino addressed the elephant in the room finally!'
Another hailed him as a legend for his witty comment: 'Gino is a legend when he just asked 'is there any news since I’ve been gone' GINO GINO GINO #ThisMorning'
Another gushed: 'Gino never disappoints, causing Dermot and Holly to squirm a bit making light of the Phil saga #ThisMorning.'
A fourth wrote: 'Bet This Morning wish they hadn’t booked Gino today now. I was looking forward to baked aubergine as well!'
Gino's axed cooking show
In a surprising twist, it was revealed that Gino's Cooking Up Love, a cooking show aimed at helping singletons find romance through food, had been axed by ITV.
Despite filming two pilot episodes, the network decided not to proceed with a full series. However, this setback didn't dampen Gino's spirits, as he continues to work on various other projects with ITV, including Gino's Italy and as the host of the revived game show, Family Fortunes.
Read more:
⋙ Furious Gordon Ramsay takes swipe at co-star Gino D'Acampo after Road Trip exit
⋙ Gino D'Acampo exits huge show to keep his friendship with world's best chef
⋙ Gino D'Acampo faces backlash after using luxury ingredients amid crisis
⋙ This Morning faces axe from TV screens after 'toxic' scandal with Phillip Schofield
