Antonio Carluccio not depressed, says pal

A close friend of Antonio Carluccio's has defended the chef after media reports claimed he was depressed and may have stabbed himself earlier this month in a suicide bid.

Carluccio, who founded the eponymous chain of Italian high-street restaurants, was admitted to London's Priory clinic days after stabbing himself in the chest with a kitchen knife.

Media reports have suggested he will spend a month at the clinic in south-west London being treated for depression.

However, Gennaro Contaldo, chef-proprietor of Italian restaurant Passione on London's Charlotte Street and a close friend of Carluccio's, slammed the reports and described them as "lies".

"It was an accident. He was just sharpening his knife and it slipped," Contaldo told the Evening Standard. He added that Carluccio had checked himself into the Priory for "a rest".

"He has been so busy on his books and other projects. That is all it is. I spoke to him on the phone and he is fantastic. He is very happy… he has such a beautiful life to look forward to."

Carluccio was taken to hospital earlier this month after stabbing himself at his flat in Battersea.

Doctors at London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital feared he had penetrated a lung and kept him in hospital for a number of days to monitor his erratic breathing.

By Kerstin Kühn

Read the full Evening Standard story here >>

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By Kerstin Kühn

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