His chain of Italian restaurants, My Pasta Bar, went into liquidation at the beginning of the year, owing nearly £5 million —including £113,000 to HMRC and £37,000 to staff in unpaid wages and holiday pay.

Now it emerges that Gino D’Acampo has had his fingers burned in another of his businesses, Gino D’Acampo Hotels and Leisure Ltd.

I can disclose that an employment tribunal ordered it to pay a former employee £6,647.43 for ‘unauthorised deduction’ from her wages.

Might it be wise for D’Acampo to spurn his impending role as presenter of a new version of ITV game show Family Fortunes — and concentrate on his day job instead?

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Chef Gino D’Acampo’s business, Gino D’Acampo Hotels and Leisure, was ordered it to pay a former employee £6,647.43

A representative for Gino told Daily Mail: ‘The judgement was revoked in November of last year, in light of the business having not had the opportunity to respond.

‘The case has since been closed and has been for sometime. It should have been removed from the tribunal register and my client is in communication with the organisation to this effect.’

Nigella Lawson believes keeping mobiles out of the kitchen will boost creativity when it comes to cooking.

‘We’re all living by screens, everything is in our head and sometimes we’re focusing on that little screen and it feels like your forehead gets fuzzy, and fogged by too many words,’ says the Domestic Goddess.

‘So, when cooking, if you put your phone down, you’re letting your intelligence be in your fingertips and your sense of smell — that for me, is very necessary sometimes,’ she reveals.

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Pictured: Nigella Lawson looks radiant in red as she signs copies of her famous cookbooks

Lucian Freud’s Rubenesque muse Sue Tilley posed naked for him for a small sitter’s fee.

But now another artist, Ian Brennan, is tempting her to shed her clothes again by aiming to get the seven-figure pay cheque she desires.

The Irishman, 40, who is exhibiting at London Art Biennale, has created a clothed portrait of Tilley named the Coat of Arms which he is putting up for sale.

‘I told her I would put a price tag of £1 million on it and I will then give her that £1 million if she will sit nude for a painting,’ Brennan tells me at a book party in London.

He adds: ‘I don’t think she believed me.’

It could pay off for Brennan in the long run. Freud’s painting of Sue called Benefits Supervisor Sleeping was bought by Roman Abramovich for £17.2 million in 2008.

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Lucian Freud’s Rubenesque muse Sue Tilley posed naked for him for a small sitter’s fee and now another artist, Ian Brennan, is tempting her to shed her clothes again

Gino D’Acampo, the charismatic Italian chef who’s charmed audiences with his culinary flair and cheeky TV persona, has hit a rough patch that’s threatening to tarnish his golden reputation. Known for his stints on shows like Family Fortunes and his chain of restaurants, Gino’s ventures beyond the kitchen have landed him in hot water. Recently, an employment tribunal delivered a stinging verdict: Gino D’Acampo Hotels and Leisure Ltd, one of his business enterprises, must fork over £6,647.43 to a former employee for what’s been labeled an “unauthorised deduction” from her wages. This ruling, reported in July 2023, has sent ripples through his fanbase and raised eyebrows about whether the celebrity chef’s entrepreneurial ambitions are starting to curdle. As Avengers: Doomsday looms on the horizon for the MCU, Gino’s own saga might need a superhero-sized rescue—but for now, it’s a tale of legal woes and reputational risk.

The tribunal’s decision stems from a dispute that’s as messy as an overcooked pasta dish. The unnamed ex-employee took Gino’s company to task, claiming she’d been shortchanged on her earnings. The court agreed, ordering the hefty payout to cover the deducted wages—a sum that, while not astronomical, paints a troubling picture of mismanagement within Gino’s leisure empire. This isn’t just a one-off hiccup either; it’s the latest in a string of business blunders that suggest Gino might be better suited to wielding a spatula than a corporate ledger. Last year, his My Pasta Bar chain went belly-up, leaving nearly £5 million in debts, including £113,000 owed to HMRC and £37,000 in unpaid wages to staff. Creditors cried foul, with one supplier slamming Gino as unfit to run a business. Now, this tribunal ruling adds fuel to the fire, hinting at a pattern of financial slip-ups that could unravel his carefully crafted image.

Gino’s rise to fame has been a recipe of talent, charm, and relentless hustle. Born in Torre del Greco, Italy, he swapped a life of modest beginnings for the glitz of British television, winning over viewers with his infectious energy and Italian flair. His restaurant ventures—like the Gino D’Acampo Hotels and Leisure Ltd outfit—seemed a natural extension of that success, promising fans a taste of la dolce vita. But behind the scenes, things appear less appetizing. The tribunal case, while specific in its focus on wage deductions, opens a window into broader questions about how Gino runs his operations. Was this an innocent oversight, or a sign of deeper cracks in his business model? Social media has been abuzz with speculation, with some fans defending their beloved chef while others wonder if his TV persona masks a less savory reality.

A representative for Gino was quick to push back, claiming the tribunal judgment was “revoked” in November 2022 after the business wasn’t given a chance to respond. According to this spokesperson, the case is closed, the matter settled, and Gino’s team is working to scrub it from the tribunal register. But that explanation hasn’t silenced the skeptics. If the issue was resolved, why did it resurface in 2023 headlines? And why does it still sting like a fresh burn for a man who’s built his brand on authenticity and relatability? The timing couldn’t be worse, either. Gino’s poised to take on a high-profile gig hosting a rebooted Family Fortunes on ITV—a role that demands trust and likability. A whiff of scandal, even one supposedly resolved, could sour his prospects just as he’s trying to plate up a new chapter.

This isn’t the first time Gino’s business dealings have raised eyebrows. His My Pasta Bar collapse was a masterclass in how not to run a hospitality chain. Small suppliers, many of them artisans, were left high and dry, with one creditor lamenting to the Daily Mail that Gino’s fame lured them into a false sense of security. “He trades on his celebrity,” the source fumed, “but he won’t pay up.” That debacle saw 49 businesses owed money, a stark contrast to the jovial chef who once danced across our screens. Now, with the tribunal ruling, the narrative shifts again: is Gino a victim of bad luck, or a chef who’s bitten off more than he can chew? The £6,647.43 might be pocket change for a TV star, but for the employee who fought for it, it’s a victory—and for Gino, a public relations headache.

The fallout has sparked a broader debate about celebrity-run businesses. Gino isn’t alone in leveraging fame to build an empire—think Gordon Ramsay’s sprawling restaurant network or Jamie Oliver’s once-thriving ventures. But where Ramsay’s operations hum with precision and Oliver’s stumbles (like his 2019 chain collapse) came with a public mea culpa, Gino’s missteps feel clumsier, less accountable. The tribunal case, even if legally resolved, feeds into a growing unease that his charm might be a front for sloppy management. Online, fans are split. “He’s just a chef, not a businessman,” one X user argued, while another quipped, “Maybe he should stick to pasta and leave the payroll to someone else.” The chatter reflects a tension: we love Gino the entertainer, but Gino the boss? That’s a tougher sell.

Could this be a turning point? The Family Fortunes gig looms large, a chance to reclaim the spotlight with his trademark wit. But ITV execs might be sweating bullets, wondering if their new host’s baggage will weigh down the show. Gino’s camp insists the tribunal storm has passed, but perception matters more than paperwork in the court of public opinion. A chef who can’t pay his staff—or at least, can’t avoid the appearance of it—risks losing the goodwill that’s fueled his career. And with other ventures like his pizza ovens and recipe books still in play, he can’t afford to let this simmer too long. Fans want the Gino who makes them laugh, not the one who leaves them questioning his integrity.

So, what’s next for Gino D’Acampo? He could lean into the drama, spinning this as a bump in the road for a scrappy entrepreneur. Or he could double down on his day job, letting his culinary talents outshine his corporate woes. The tribunal ruling, revoked or not, is a wake-up call: fame doesn’t guarantee competence, and even the sunniest personalities can cast shadows. For now, Gino’s empire is at a crossroads—teetering between a redemption arc and a slow unraveling. As the Multiverse Saga teaches us, every hero faces a reckoning. Gino’s might just be here, and it’s up to him to cook up a comeback that proves he’s more than a flash in the pan.