TV chef Gino D’Acampo has been caught by Border Force attempting to fly into the UK with cannabis.
According to The Sun, the celebrity chef was caught by sniffer dogs attempting to bring cannabis into the country with him after landing in the UK alongside fellow TV hosts Fred Siriex and Gordon Ramsay.
Having landed at Farnborough Airport, Hampshire, the trio had arrived in Britain after spending time filming a show in Spain.
However, upon touching down Border Force dogs reportedly began circling the famous Italian chef as he arrived at the Hampshire airport.
Officials then stopped and held all three for ‘some time’ whilst Gino tried to ‘laugh it off’, but in the end it became ‘clear who the dogs were after’ and GIno’s luggage was searched.
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Gino pictured with Fred Siriex and Gordon Ramsay. / Image: Gino D’Acampo
TV Chef Gino D’Acampo. / Image: Gino D’Acampo
Officers then found a small box containing the Class B drug inside the Italian Escape presenter’s bags, before letting the tv chef go with a caution.
Gino was officially given a warning and a fine for carrying a prohibited substance, but the TV personality was not arrested. He has since said that he was smoking the drug to help with back pain.
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Speaking on the debacle, a source told The Sun that both Fred and Gordon were ‘pretty cross’ after being held alongside Gino for some time.
“Gino and the gang had been filming in Spain, and flew back home on Gordon’s private jet. When they landed, out of nowhere sniffer dogs suddenly started circling Gino.
“Gordon, Fred and Gino were all held for some time by Border Force, as Gino initially tried to laugh it off.
“Eventually, it was clear who the dogs were after, and Gino went away with uniformed police for questioning. It was Gino’s bags that were stopped and searched, and a small box with some weed inside was found.
“Neither Fred nor Gordon, nor anyone else on the jet, had a single trace of anything suspicious.”
The source continued: “The next day Gino called Gordon and Fred.
“He said he was smoking it to help his bad back, and he had been released by cops without issue.
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“Both Fred and Gordon were obviously pretty cross at being caught up in the drama. Gordon, especially, has always been very vocal about his anti-drugs stance.”
It’s not the first time that the trio has been caught up with cannabis, having all previously sampled some THC-infused food together on their show Gordon, Gino & Fred: American Road Trip two years ago.
Whilst in San Francisco, Gino took his fellow TV chefs to a restaurant that specialises in cannabis-infused dishes – most specifically, ‘High Tea’.
TV chef Gino hasn’t had the best luck of late, having recently been forced to close his Alderley Edge restaurant Luciano just 12 months after it opened.
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Gino only launched the restaurant a year ago, taking over the space formerly home to Piccolino.
The restaurant has now been taken over by competing Italian restaurant group San Carlo, which has just announced plans to close the restaurant for an extended time in order to complete a £2m redesign.
Featured image: Luciano
TV & Showbiz
Race Across The World star Jo Gardiner dies just one year after co-star son
Daisy Jackson
A Race Across The World star from Manchester has died just one year after her son and co-star tragically passed away.
Jo Gardiner, who starred on the hit BBC series back in 2020, died after a ‘long and courageous battle’ with cancer, her family has said.
The 61-year-old physiotherapist appeared on the second season of the travel competition, racing across Latin America with her son Sam Gardiner, who was just 19 at the time.
The pair became a fan favourite as they bonded over their travels, and Sam gained confidence to explore despite his ADHD.
Tragically, Sam passed away last May at the age of 24, following a vehicle collision in Gatley.
Paying tribute to Jo, Studio Lambert and the BBC described her as ‘the matriarch of the Race Across The World cast family’.
In the tribute, they also sent ‘deepest and heartfelt sympathies to Jo’s son Charlie’.
Jo’s family shared in a statement: “She had a rare gift for making everyone around her feel more alive. She lived fully, fiercely and never did anything by halves.
“She was blessed with countless friends, drawn to her extraordinary magnetism. Somehow, each one felt as though they were among her very best.
Jo Gardiner, from Manchester, starred on season two of Race Across The World. Credit: BBC
“To us, she was more than all of these things. She was our family, our joy, our safe place and our absolute treasure.
“We know how deeply Jo was loved, and we take comfort in knowing that her laughter, her courage, her kindness and her wonderfully outrageous spirit will live on in the many people whose lives she touched.
“As we grieve, we ask for privacy, but we also ask everyone who knew and loved Jo to do exactly what she would have wanted: tell the funny stories, raise a glass, have an adventure, laugh loudly and live life to the full.”
Studio Lambert and the BBC shared: “On behalf of the Studio Lambert production team, the BBC and the whole Race Across The World cast, we offer our deepest and heartfelt sympathies to Jo’s son Charlie, and her wider family and friends.
“Following the tragic death of Jo’s son Sam last year, we paid tribute to how integral Sam and Jo had been to series two. Millions of people remembered their transformative journey across Latin America in 2020 and we hold that memory in our hearts as we fondly recall Jo’s passion for life, her kindness, her strength, and above all her utter devotion to Sam and her family.
“At the time of filming, Sam described his mum as amazing – and that is how we will always remember her.
“Jo became the matriarch of the Race Across the World cast family, she leaves a lasting legacy in the many lives that she touched, both through the series and beyond. It was a privilege to share her story and she will be deeply missed.”
Stockport actress Aimee Lou Wood set to star in new BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre
Emily Sergeant
Stockport-born actress Aimee Lou Wood is set to lead a new BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre, it has been reported.
It was announced earlier this year that Working Title are producing a new TV adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel, Jane Eyre – which will be led by The White Lotus and Sex Education star in the titular role – and Deadline has now exclusively revealed that the BBC has joined the production as the broadcaster.
The new TV adaptation has been penned for the screen by Miriam Battye – an award-winning writer best known for her work on HBO’s Succession.
Published all the way back in 1847 and set across a number of fictional Northern England settings, the classic novel explores the moral and emotional development of orphan Jane Eyre as she searches for love, independence, and social equality in the 19th century.
EXCLUSIVE: Deadline hears that 'The White Lotus' and 'Sex Education' star Aimee Lou Wood is attached to star in a new TV adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel Jane Eyre.
Emmy nominee Wood will play the indomitable heroine in the buzzy adaptation which we understand is… pic.twitter.com/ETBRaPJanN
Throughout the novel, Jane overcomes a harsh and unloving childhood and goes on to find work as a governess at Thornfield Hall, before falling in love with her moody master, Mr Rochester, and discovering a dark secret in his attic.
The novel is widely considered to be ahead of its time due to how it approaches topics of class, sexuality, religion, and feminism.
Jane Eyre has been the subject of a number of adaptations of the years – most notably the last major TV version being in 2006, also for the BBC, and a 2011 film starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender – but there hasn’t been any in 15 years now, and 2027 marks the 180th anniversary for the iconic story.
Aimee Lou Wood is also riding high at the moment after her Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe nominations for Season 3 of The White Lotus, and after having also been cast as George Harrison’s wife, Pattie Boyd, in Sam Mendes’ four Beatles biopic movies, all set to be released in 2028.
As of yet, further information on when and where the new adaptation will be being filmed is yet to be released, and there is no indication of air dates either.
The BBC is expected to reveal more details in due course, so stay tuned.
Georgina Pellant -
3rd April 2023 
