How ITV's Gino D'Acampo and beloved wife survived split and prison stint

Gino D'Acampo is a familiar face on shows like ITV's and Family Fortunes, and he won in 2009. Although Gino, 48, has kept much of his life private, he has opened up about some personal struggles in the past.

In 1998, when Gino was 21, he was working as a waiter at The Orchard restaurant in London. He moved to the UK from Italy at 19 and worked hard to eventually co-own his first restaurant, Bontà Italia Ltd, which led to the star's first TV appearance on Great Food Live on UKTV Food.

Four years after his first role in the food industry, the Italian chef went on to marry the love of his life, Jessica Stellina Morrison.

However, he faced a dark period in his life when he broke into the home of 80s pop star Paul Young in Mill Hill.

Gino stole £4,000 worth of guitars, a platinum record, a video recorder, a fax machine, a mountain bike, some cash, and jewellery from Young's home. He was sentenced to two years in prison for burglary and handling stolen goods.

After his release, Gino turned his life around. He admitted he was in a bad place at that time and even apologised to Paul over the phone in 2009.

He told What's on TV: "It was a dreadful experience, but in life, I've learned to make good come out of everything. I thought, 'This is not going to drag me down; this is going to make me a better man.' So I came out of prison a man with a plan, determined to set up a business importing Italian ingredients."

Paul also shared his thoughts about the incident. In a 2011 interview with the Evening Standard, he said: "I don't hold it against him. He said it was bad and he apologised, and I did get most of the stuff back. Maybe he needed his wrist slapping, and he got that. He said he was in a terrible place and wanted to turn his life around."

Gino is now happily married to his wife, Jessica, whom he wed in 2002. They have three children together, and despite having split for a brief time previously, they eventually managed to find their way back to each other.