EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Gino D’Acampo leaves his own company in bad taste

Gino D’Acampo has such a friendly face that ITV has chosen him to host a revamped version of game show Family Fortunes.

Nevertheless, the smiley TV chef can hardly show himself to the suppliers of his failed Italian restaurant chain.

Last month My Pasta Bar went bankrupt owing almost £5m, including £113,000 to HMRC and £37,000 in wages and holiday pay for staff.

Now, a boss at one of the 49 companies in debt has spoken out against D’Acampo, 46, claiming he doesn’t think the chef is fit to sit on a company’s board.

“It’s outrageous,” says the creditor, who wants to remain anonymous for the time being. “Gino trades his fame and many of the small companies may think that’s why he’s going to pay them back.

“Well, I’ve got news for you—he hasn’t. I won’t lend him any more money, no. Fortunately, we are a fairly large company and while we don’t like to lose money, we can afford it. But many of the people who supplied his shops are artisans. He must offer high quality products. If they don’t pay their debts, they go bankrupt.’

The businessman adds: “I would certainly question D’Acampo’s suitability as a director of a public company, that’s for sure.”

A separate company, Gino D’Acampo’s My Restaurants, was bailed out last year with a £12.9m bailout from fellow investors including Icelandic bosses Sir Malcolm Walker and Tarsem Dhaliwal.

D’Acampo, who declined to comment, urged people last year to stop blaming Covid for business failures.

However, last month he claimed the pandemic was the reason My Pasta Bar closed, saying: “We tried for 10 years and then Covid came and I was like, ‘You know what? We have to close.’ ‘

When the Daily Mail last month investigated the chaotic leadership of Sistah Space, the charity founded by Ngozi Fulani, the woman who accused Prince William’s godmother, Lady Susan Hussey, of racial “abuse” at a reception at Buckingham Palace accused, one insisted that their affairs are now well settled.

The charity said: “In our March 2021 Trustee Report we were open and transparent about the staffing issues we have been dealing with since the pandemic started, which led to some reporting issues on our accounts, but we have since had them independently audited done. firmly with the intention that it won’t happen again.’

So I am surprised to hear that Sistah Space is late in submitting her final accounts. “The charity report is seven days late,” confirms the Charity Commission.

No one at Sistah Space could be reached for comment. They are probably preparing for their next palace reception. . .

Flower corner! Sergeant Cawood trades policemen for the shops

Pictured: Sarah Lancashire was spotted with her new haircut as she treated herself to spring flowers after Happy Valley ended

The actress was also holding a bag of groceries, including a freshly baked baguette

After facing a bloodied, homicidal maniac in Happy Valley on Sunday, Sarah Lancashire needed something to help her relax.

What could be more fun than hitting the shops for some cheerful spring onions and a baguette?

The 58-year-old actress, who plays Sergeant Catherine Cawood in the BBC’s hit crime drama, was spotted near the home in Twickenham, south-west London, which she shares with her husband Peter Salmon, who was apparently involved in the wars. in real life. it was. . The TV producer (66) walked with a crutch.

The couple, who married in 2001 and have a son, wanted to start a production company together after filing paperwork for Via Pictures last month.

Royal Ascot will be particularly spectacular this year due to the coronation of King Charles seven weeks earlier, says TV boss Raymond Blanc, who will serve seared Scottish langoustine bouillabaisse to wealthy racegoers.

“It’s going to be Coronation Ascot and the girls just keep getting prettier,” the French-born chef tells me at the Royal Ascot Food & Drink preview at the Carousel London. “Your hats will become even more colorful and extravagant.”

About his menu choices, Blanc (73) explains: “The king will want to eat something that is pure and organic.

“He even changed France.”

Millionaire Bannatyne turns 74, keeps 24…

Pictured: Duncan Bannatyne throws a luxury boat party in Miami to celebrate his 74th birthday

The former Dragons’ Den investor was delighted with his hands up

Duncan Bannatyne enjoys growing old with shame.

The health club tycoon and former Dragons’ Den investor celebrated his 74th birthday with a wild party aboard a yacht in Miami, where he was seen with his hands raised.

His third wife, Nigora, who is 32 years his junior, joined him. She later presented him with a cake while they dined at Italian restaurant Cipriani Downtown Miami. “I had good company, good food and alcohol,” says the son of the Glasgow foundry worker, who is said to have amassed a fortune of more than £400m.

Divorce from his second wife, Joanne McCue, reportedly cost him a whopping £345 million. He met Nigora when she was working as a dental hygienist in Harley Street.

Ralph Fiennes’ new companion is a married woman. Friends of Amelia Richards, who carried the Harry Potter star in Rome in my column on Saturday, tell me she has been dating aristocratic snapper James Lindsay (61), son of one of Queen Camilla’s best friends, for almost a decade . . Dame Amabel Lindsay.

“James is absolutely devastated,” says the friend. “He agreed with Amelia last week that they were breaking up, but he had no idea about her friendship with Fiennes.”

Amelia has two sons from a previous relationship.

“James treated them like his own,” adds the friend.

In which attic do you find a set of 18th-century chandeliers, three silver cognac warmers and a 1760 royal baluster wine glass? The answer is Checkers, the Prime Minister’s country house. The exotic trinkets are being auctioned at Bonhams after curators determined the attic was filled with “obsolete items”.