Gino D'Acampo has landed a high profile new role on This Morning, after being absent from the show for close to five months.
Iy was back in April that TV chef and former I'm A Celebrity winner Gino bid a rather emotional farewell to the ITV daytime programme, telling hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: "I was just walking around because I’m a little bit sad today because I’m going to go to Italy very soon in the next couple of days This is my last This Morning.
When quizzed on how long he'd be away for, Gino added: "Probably autumn/winter. Unless you guys are going to come to the island of Sardinia, we may do something live there."
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And it's Sardinia which will be the focal point of Gino's new This Morning job, which will be called, very aptly, Gino in Sardinia. In his own four-part series, Gino will show viewers around the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, including travelling on a motorbike to a local port for a coffee.
He also takes a trip to the Blue Zone of Sardinia which has the largest concentration of people that live to 100 years old, and visits a local goat herd. Along the way, Gino will show viewers how to make some traditional hearty Italian dishes such as spaghetti vongole, a rack of lamb with honey and rosemary, and a family favourite - chicken in beer.
On his return to This Morning for his own show, Gino said: "will always find the time for This Morning as it is a show and group of people that has been - and is still - very kind to me. Also, I love the This Morning fans. In terms of what you can expect – always expect to see things that you have never seen before."
He added: "Sardinia is special to me because it is one of the only places where the family’s all together. In the UK, one is at school, one is at work, one is away, and it is very difficult to spend quality time together. In Sardinia – it is much easier."
Gino's return to This Morning coincides with Holly and Phillip making their comeback, after taking a lengthy break for summer. They will host their first show in close to two months on Monday, September 5.
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