{"id":415532,"date":"2026-02-09T01:46:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T01:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/415532\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T01:46:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T01:46:15","slug":"i-went-on-come-dine-with-me-for-a-laugh-and-became-one-of-britains-most-hated-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/415532\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I went on Come Dine With Me for a laugh and became one of Britain\u2019s most hated men’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fifteen years ago, Marcello said yes to Come Dine With Mein search of something new. He couldn\u2019t have predicted how dramatically it would change his life – for the worst.Marcello Marino discusses threats after Come Dine With Me appearance<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re the most hated man in England\u201d – the words were sent to Marcello Marino\u2019s phone while he was thousands of miles away from home, on holiday in Miami<\/a>, enjoying the sun and unaware of what was unfolding in England. The message came from his employee, a stark warning that the television appearance<\/a> he had agreed to would lead to a torrent of online hate. Even then, Marcello did not yet grasp how playing a rude personality on TV would result in threats against his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said, ‘Did you know that you\u2019re all over the newspapers?’\u201d he recalls. \u201cI said, ‘No, why?’ Apparently I was the most hated person in England. And I didn\u2019t realise.\u201d Marcello tried to understand how it had happened, how a single television appearance had triggered something he could not control or escape.<\/p>\n

\"Marcello<\/p>\n

Marcello claims producers were clear about how they wanted him to act(Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Hairdresser wins the right to display saucy posters of his wife<\/a>READ MORE: ‘I was eating myself to death until disturbing moment changed everything’<\/a><\/p>\n

Marcello appeared on Come Dine With Me in Kent in 2011 where he presented himself as confrontational, outspoken and deliberately provocative – a contestant who questioned everything from hygiene to haircuts, and, watching the show, he appeared to take pleasure in unsettling his fellow diners. In one scene, he claimed to find a hair in his food and immediately suggested it was a public hair – one of the key moments he is known for.<\/p>\n

While his persona was entertaining, it quickly earned him a reputation as one of the show\u2019s most hated contestants – something that would follow him far beyond the dinner table. But before the show Marcello lived what he describes as a normal life, married and raising a family. He ran a hair salon in Ramsgate, Kent.<\/p>\n

In early 2010, he decided to put two provocative posters on either side of the outside of his salon, using them to showcase his wife, \u201cHer cleavage was showing, nothing pornographic and it was 7 by 4, either side of my building,\u201d he told the Mirror<\/a>.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Hairdresser wins the right to display saucy posters of his wife<\/a><\/p>\n

The local council disagreed after receiving complaints and warned him to take the posters down or face court action. Marcello challenged the decision, and as the dispute escalated, it caught the attention of the press. \u201cIn the end, I didn\u2019t take it down. I had a meeting and they said, as long as she\u2019s not naked, you can go ahead with it but I had to fight for it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

At the time, Marcello leaned into the moment. He spoke proudly about the posters, praised his wife\u2019s appearance and suggested the images offered something more bold and lively, during a difficult economic period. Marcello believes it was this publicity that led producers from Come Dine With Me to reach out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe producers from Come Dine With Me said they wanted to meet me,\u201d he says. \u201cThey asked if I\u2019d be happy with being the character of a rude person and I said yeah, that\u2019s fine.\u201d Marcello says the producers were clear about what they wanted and what was expected. \u201cI did lean into it. I wasn\u2019t being my normal self all the time, I knew it was TV, and I played up to the cameras and the character. I thought people would see it as entertainment, not as the real me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Marcello showcased his wife on the building of his salon<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

After the first complaint, he decided to go one step further and replace the picture with a raunchier one<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m normal, and I tell people the truth,\u201d he says. \u201cBut with TV, I knew when they interviewed me, they said if you act like that, you have to keep going.\u201d And Marcello felt the implication that someone else could replace him, if he didn\u2019t commit completely to the persona. \u201cIt\u2019s pressure,\u201d he explains. \u201cThey\u2019re saying there are other people – if you don\u2019t act that way, we have someone else.”<\/p>\n

When filming began, Marcello was nervous, saying: “I tried to be myself but you\u2019re in a unfamiliar environment with cameras, schedules, producers and pressure to perform.\u201d<\/p>\n

His worst comments on the show<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can I eat that now? I\u2019ve just seen your bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not joking, can I see your kitchen first before I eat that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe taste of your clothes, it just looks like you go to the charity shop.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLydia, why did you not do your hair for tonight? You\u2019ve just put it straight back \u2013 beautiful face, but a shame about your hair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got a terrible haircut, you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, what happened to your hair? It looks very greasy – a nice wig would suit you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat looks like a sick bag – you know, on a plane.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got some taste then, I thought you had no taste. Least, you made a effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the show first came out, he truly enjoyed watching back – until the public discourse began. \u201cI didn\u2019t realise what a good actor I was,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen the camera wasn\u2019t rolling, I said listen, I\u2019m going to be really bad, that\u2019s not me and when the camera went on, I went berserk. But no, I enjoyed it. It made good TV. In the streets, when I went out after the show, people were really nice to me,\u201d he says. \u201cEverybody recognised me – they still do.\u201d<\/p>\n

But online, the reaction went far beyond criticism, descending into abuse that left him failing for his safety. \u201cI had death threats,” Marcello said. “It upset me and I kept worrying about it going out of my house and I was scared, people knew where I lived.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Marcello<\/p>\n

Marcello previously attempted to apply for Britain’s Got Talent(Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

His salon phone rang constantly. When he answered, he was met with swearing and abuse. “I thought what\u2019s going on and I realised the show was on, the show is being replayed again. That’s when I knew every time they played it, people go mad and keep phoning me up and being silly. Every time it\u2019s on they were bombarding me,\u201d he says. “In the end I asked them [ channel 4<\/a> ] to take it off – I wish I didn\u2019t have to, but I couldn\u2019t handle it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it all felt disproportionate to the programme itself he felt. Come Dine With Me is a light-hearted dinner party show that Marcello says he never believed would stretch beyond a few laughs and a fleeting moment on television. At the time his life remained firmly on his salon, his family and he could never have foreseen that a stint on reality TV could spill into his personal life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was unbelievable. You just didn’t expect it. You don’t expect going to TV and then afterwards you get some death threats,\u201d he said. “Honestly, it was just meant to be a laugh, I didn\u2019t go in thinking it would change my life or make me famous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Mirror reached out to Channel 4, who denied Marcello\u2019s claims.(Image: Tim Merry\/Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

Yet 15 years later, the echo of that brief moment still lingers on and people still recognise him from the show. \u201cSome people joke about it, some are kind, and some are cruel. What people don\u2019t see is that you live with that label long after the programme is forgotten. It sticks to you in ways that affect work, confidence, and how people treat you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking back now, Marcello wishes he had more support from the broadcaster, especially after the death threats he received. \u201cThe duty of care shouldn\u2019t stop when filming ends, people go back to real lives and suddenly they\u2019re dealing with public judgement, online abuse, and labels that can follow them for years. There should be real support after filming, not just during it. I know how long the impact can last. One edit, one label, one moment can follow you for years,\u201d he said. \u201cI was constantly thinking what could happen – I\u2019ve got children.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mirror reached out to Channel 4, who denied Marcello\u2019s claims. “We strongly refute that anyone taking part would be told to behave like a character, the show is about a celebration of people – that is absolutely not true,\u201d a spokesperson for Channel 4 said<\/p>\n

What life looks like now for Marcello <\/p>\n

More than a decade after his stint on the show, Marcello\u2019s life has been shaped by another crisis, but this one has nothing to do with his sharp tongue.<\/p>\n

In October 2023, he received a call that would dictate his life months later. The sewer outside his building had collapsed and the property was deemed unsafe.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hell – it\u2019s unbelievable the situation I am in,\u201d Marcello says. \u201cThey call us when my son was only six months old and they told us, you\u2019ve got two hours to move to get out of your house. The sewers collapsed outside my building and the building is not safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

What followed was a prolonged dispute with Southern Water and his insurers, Hiscox. Marcello says responsibility for the damage shifted repeatedly. At first, he was told it would be covered. Months later, he says, that position changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey took responsibility at first, then covered everything up after a few months and said sorry, it\u2019s a private sewer – you need to go back to your insurance company,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The impact on his business was immediate. He couldn\u2019t open his shop for a period, affecting his income. Later, he found himself unable to secure new insurance altogether.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut now I\u2019m blacklisted. That is another thing,\u201d he says. \u201cI got no insurance, no business insurance, no liability insurance. And I don\u2019t fit the underwriter criteria anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he asked why, he says he was given no explanation. \u201cThey said, it\u2019s a secret. We don\u2019t have to tell you,\u201d he claims. \u201cBut it was an open claim. That\u2019s why. But I didn\u2019t do nothing wrong – but nobody wants to insure me, I\u2019m blacklisted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without insurance, Marcello was forced to display notices in his salon window. Customers, seeing the lack of liability cover, walked away. \u201cMy business gone down,\u201d he says. Debts mounted, and he struggled to pay his mortgage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got debts. I can\u2019t pay my mortgage,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen I got no insurance, I had to put it on my window and when customers come and see it\u2019s not insured, it\u2019s the risk for liability, and they walk off.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the first six weeks after being forced out of their home, Marcello says his family received no financial support. \u201cI phoned loads of different people and they didn\u2019t even provide money at first,\u201d he says. \u201cI had nothing for six weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marcello eventually won his court case last summer. A judgment was issued in his favour and compensation was ordered. But he says the money has still not been paid.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won the court case, and Hiscox had two weeks to appeal and they didn\u2019t,\u201d he says. \u201cThey have to give me compensation, roughly \u00a34,000 and they haven\u2019t given it to me now. What do I know now? I won. I got a judgment against.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout it all, family has remained at the centre. He and his wife have two teenagers – one studying law, another at a grammar school and a younger son who was still a baby when they were forced to leave their home. The stress, he says, has been relentless.<\/p>\n

Even attending his mother\u2019s funeral, Marcello says, was later used against him. \u201cWhen my mum passed away, I had to close the shop to go to a funeral,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd Hiscox said, why your business was destroyed and wasn\u2019t busy anymore, because you went for a week abroad to a funeral – that\u2019s why.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite everything, Marcello says his fight now is not just personal. \u201cI want to get the word out saying people should fight for justice,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m not just fighting for me, I\u2019m fighting for small businesses like me.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can support his petition at https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/demand-justice-and-transparency-southern-water-and-hiscox-must-be-held-accountable<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fifteen years ago, Marcello said yes to Come Dine With Mein search of something new. He couldn\u2019t have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":415533,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[1633,7391,3911,96,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-415532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-channel-4","tag-come-dine-with-me","tag-death-threats","tag-entertainment","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/415533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}