GINO D’Acampo is said to have quit his travel show with Gordon Ramsay and Fred Sirieix because he was denied lie-ins.
The Italian chef, 46, reportedly made a string of ludicrous demands during contract negotiations for Gordon, Gino and Fred: Road Trip.
And it has been claimed the married dad of three is now battling to save his friendship with his co-stars.
Last night an ITV insider said: “Contrary to popular belief, the row wasn’t over money — all three men get paid exactly the same.
“Instead, Gino, who loves a party, wanted all sorts of caveats put into his contract around working hours so that he could effectively stay up late and have a bit of a lie-in before filming. He doesn’t like early starts — and made that clear.
“He also didn’t want to work more than six months of the year which, given the tight schedules they all have, was never going to be practical.
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“Gordon and Fred are obviously quite frustrated and couldn’t kowtow to his requests.
“It all seemed a bit ludicrous. At the moment things are pretty tense between them.”
Gino was said to have left ITV blindsided by revealing he was quitting the hit show.
He blamed it on not being able to co-ordinate dates and said he would rather save his friendships with his co-stars than argue over contracts.
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ITV declined to comment.