Gino D'Acampo reveals wife made jaw-dropping sacrifice for him during 'nightmare' ordeal

Gino D'Acampo, the beloved Italian chef and star of ITV's Gordon, Gino and Fred's Road Trip, recently shared a touching story about his wife, Jessica Stellina Morrison.

On the White Wine Question Time Podcast with Kate Thornton, he revealed that Jessica had made a significant, life-altering decision in the early stages of his culinary career.

The This Morning regular explained that when Jessica was made redundant from a "big job", she was left with a "sum of money". Gino then presented her with a choice.

He said: "It was pretty much me doing cooking and sometimes waitering as well at the same time. I used to cook, take my jacket off and also take it away and then come...oh yeah, a nightmare at the beginning, a nightmare."

Gino continued: "And Jessie gave me the money to open my first restaurant. Yeah, she was...I think she was just made redundant from a job that she had, a big job that she had and so she had a sum of money.

"And I asked her; I said, 'Look, we've got a choice. Are we gonna open a restaurant or we gonna buy a house? Which one do you prefer?'"

"And I think she....very courageous. She said, 'No, I want you to open the restaurant because I think you're gonna do well'. So she invested...she was my first-ever investor."

The winner of 'I'm A Celebrity' settled in the UK at 19 and began his career waiting tables at The Orchard in London, later co-founding his maiden venture Bontà Italia Ltd.

Just four years into his culinary journey, he wed his sweetheart Jessica, with whom he has three children: Luciano, Rocco, and Mia.

Gino met Jessica at Sylvester Stallone's Mambo King restaurant in Marbella when he was just 18. They underwent a separation but reunited for good in 1995.

D'Acampo has spoken affectionately about his "traditional" marriage, noting that he opted to marry because he believed that "then I will be a man".

He shared insights into their relationship, saying: "I clean her car every week. I charge her toothbrush every time the battery is low, and I always bring her a bottle of cold water just in case she's thirsty at night."

He admires his wife's wisdom, stating, "My wife is a clever woman, she knows when to say something and when to bite her tongue."