PAUL YOUNG
Paul Young had a clear message for Gino D’Acampo ahead of his new tour (Image: PR HANDOUT)

Music hero Paul Young has offered an olive branch to disgraced celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo.

Paul has extended his forgiveness for the TV chef, who was imprisoned for breaking into his home in 1998. D’Acampo, who was 21 at the time, stole £4,000 worth of guitars and a platinum record from Paul’s North London home.

He was sentenced to two years behind bars as a result of his crime. But in a new interview with the Mirror to promote his upcoming tour, Paul had nothing but nice things to say.

Paul said: “I’ve only commented on it once, and that was on the Jeremy Vine show shortly after it happened. You know, I wish him well.

“I hope he comes out of this okay. We all make mistakes in our life and I got most of what was stolen, I got most of it back.”

Gino was working as a waiter at The Orchard restaurant at the time of the incient. But Paul revealed that he has encountered D’Acampo on several occasions over the years.

Gino D'Acampo

Gino D’Acampo has come under fire (Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
He stated: “Sometimes I’d go to ITV to be on Good Morning Britain or something like that and someone said, ‘Gino D’Acampo’s here’ but then I think they move people around so that we conveniently don’t bump into each other.

“But I have done a couple of times. I’d go, ‘oh, hi. How are you?’. Everything’s alright. I absolutely agree [with forgiveness].”

Gino has been facing challenging times of late, contending with allegations of inappropriate and intimidating behaviour behind the scenes of his TV shows, a claim he firmly denies.

A horror holiday fall

British singer Paul Young performs on July 15, 2023 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Paul Young performs on July 15, 2023 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany (Image: Getty Images)
Meanwhile, the 80s icon has recently recovered from a harrowing experience while on a Greek island getaway in Santorini. Paul suffered a fall during his vacation that resulted in multiple leg fractures.

He told the Mirror: “I fell and my leg cracked as soon as I hit the step. Once I’d gone down, I couldn’t stop. There was no handrail, so nothing to hold on to.

“I just thought, ‘I’ve lost control’. I fell down to three or four more steps, fracturing my leg again and again. It was a multi-fracture.

“When I came to a stop, I looked down and my leg was in a slightly weird position, underneath my bottom. I thought ‘I don’t like that. My leg shouldn’t be like that’, so I tried to straighten it up and that’s when the pain started”.”

Paul’s recovery journey has included extensive physiotherapy and hydrotherapy rehabilitation and now, much to his delight, he is recuperating well and eager to resume touring. Following the completion of his UK show in early June – which will include a Q&A session for fans – Paul will head to the United States for a tour alongside Australian-American artist Rick Springfield.

In preparation for this, he has taken the initiative of engaging a personal trainer. He reveals his dedication to staying active, saying: “I’ve got a fitness girl coming in to make sure I’m able to get around. When I’ve got days off, and whenever I get back, I’ll be training. I’m just trying to do as much as I can.”