Gregg Wallace latest: Masterchef host says accusations come from ‘middle-class women of a certain age’
Host faces allegations of making inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people over a 17-year period
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Your support makes all the difference.Gregg Wallace has said accusations about him making sexual comments towards staff and guests have come from “middle-class women of a certain age”.
The Masterchef presenter left the BBC programme on Thursday (28 November) after claims were made by 13 people that he made a number of inappropriate sexual comments.
Speaking in a video posted on his Instagram page, the 60-year-old said: “I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age, just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isn’t right.
“In 20 years, over 20 years of television, can you imagine how many women, female contestants on MasterChef, have made sexual remarks, or sexual innuendo? Can you imagine?”
He previously shared a cryptic social media post declaring “we are all different”, and shared an Instagram story of a gingerbread man, with the caption: “Enjoy your weekend.”
It comes after the charity Ambitious about Autism dropped him as an ambassador, a role he begun two years ago after speaking regularly about his four-year-old son’s condition.
The Independent has contacted Wallace’s representatives for comment. A BBC spokesperson said “any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated”.
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Further accusations made against MasterChef star Gregg Wallace
Further accusations have been made against TV presenter Gregg Wallace in the wake of him stepping away from hosting hit BBC show MasterChef while a review into complaints is carried out.
On Thursday, the cooking programme’s production company Banijay UK said the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to “historical allegations of misconduct” while working with Wallace.
He is “committed to fully co-operating throughout the process”, the company also said.
There were reports on Friday evening in news outlets such as The Sun newspaper about other alleged behaviour by Wallace.
Banijay UK confirmed on Saturday it had appointed law firm Lewis Silkin to lead an investigation into Wallace’s alleged behaviour.
Further accusations made against MasterChef star Gregg Wallace
The TV presenter’s lawyers said it is ‘entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature’.
Wallace shares ‘health’ video in fresh Instagram activity
Wallace has shared a new post on Instagram amid the allegations against himself. The 60-year-old shared a video, that was originally posted five weeks ago on his “Gregg Wallace Health” account.
In the post, he wrote: “We should all be concerned about our health… but not enough of us are because we’re “too busy” with work, with socialising, with going on holidays. If and when you get sick from years of not looking after yourself, there won’t be any time for any of the things that kept you busy in the first place. Put your health first and give yourself more time to do the things you love.”
Emma Kennedy claims she reported Wallace 12 years ago
In a statement, former Celebrity MasterChef winner Emma Kennedy claimed that she made a complaint about Wallace in 2012.
Kennedy claims that she witnessed Wallace use inappropriate conduct towards another woman who was working on the show, reports The Sun.
The actor and lawyer wrote on BlueSky: “For the record, I complained about behaviour I witnessed on MasterChef in 2012. They knew then. They knew before then and they’ve known since.”
Masterchef producer hire top law firm to lead investigation
MasterChef producer Banijay UK has announced the appointment of law firm Lewis Silkin to lead the investigation into alleged misconduct by presenter Gregg Wallace during filming of the BBC cooking show.
The production company had revealed complaints were made to the BBC by individuals in relation to “historical allegations of misconduct” while working with Wallace.
A Banijay UK spokesperson said: “Lewis Silkin is a major City law firm with a highly experienced specialist investigations team which has overseen a broad range of high-profile workplace investigations.
“Banijay UK has been impressed by the firm’s rigorous, in-depth, and impartial analysis and reporting.”
They said anyone wishing to raise further concerns could contact the investigation team via atbanijayinvestigation@lewissilkin.com.
The spokesperson added: “All information will be handled sensitively, and names of those providing evidence to the team will be kept confidential.”
Banijay UK said earlier this week that Wallace is “committed to fully co-operating throughout the process”.
From troubled childhood to troubling reputation, this TV stalwart is facing self-destruction
Gregg Wallace was always an unlikely TV star. Prematurely bald, stout, and the proud wearer of thick glasses, he seemed destined for an unglamorous life amid the vegetable stalls of the capital, rather than on TV screens across the country.
And yet, the presenter, who today has stepped back from his role as a judge on MasterChef after a series of historic sexual misconduct allegations came to light, has made himself part of the furniture at the BBC.
And that makes his rapid fall from grace even more troubling for the corporation, though Wallace’s lawyers say it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
Read the full analysis from Nick Hilton here:
Gregg Wallace: From troubled childhood to troubling reputation
The greengrocer-turned-presenter is stepping back from ‘MasterChef’ while allegations of historical misconduct are investigated. Nick Hilton looks back on his career as an unlikely TV star, which followed a tough start in life
Production company to investigate accusations
After allegations raised by staff members about Wallace’s behaviour on Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends to BBC News, Channel 5 asked the programme’s production company Rumpus Media to look into the accusations.
Rumpus Media said: “We do not tolerate inappropriate behaviour on our productions.
“Our comprehensive duty of care processes were in place during production of these series and any matters raised would have been investigated in accordance with these.”
Who is celebrity chef Gregg Wallace?
Mr Wallace, 60, is best known for co-presenting MasterChef alongside John Torode since 2005, as well as its spin-offs Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals.
He was the original presenter of the BBC show Saturday Kitchen in 2002 and has also featured on Eat Well For Less, Inside The Factory, Turn Back Time, Harvest, and Supermarket Secrets.
He was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2022 for his services to food and charity. Mr Wallace took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2014 and was partnered with Aliona Vilani.
He has two children, Tom and Libby, from a former relationship. He married Anne-Marie Sterpini in 2016 and the couple have a son called Sid.
Inside Gregg Wallace’s rocky love life with four wives as he exits MasterChef amid misconduct claims
Gregg Wallace will step away from presenting MasterChef while new complaints made by individuals about historical allegations of misconduct are investigated.
The presenter, 60, known for his colourful on-camera quips was previously accused of making sexually inappropriate comments to a female BBC colleague in 2018, and was forced to quit Inside the Factory over “inappropriate” remarks allegedly made to female staff last year, which he denies.
Wallace, who – among other complaints – has been accused by former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark of making jokes of a “sexualised nature” when she was competing on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011, has previously said he resents any insinuation he was “flirting” with someone who is not his wife Anna, 37.
Read the full article here:
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Wallace posts cryptic Instagram message to social media
Gregg Wallace has taken to social media in the wake of allegations made against him, including that he made a number of inappropriate and sexualised comments towards colleagues.
Sharing to Instagram, the Masterchef presenter posted a photo of a gingerbread man with the caption ‘Enjoy your weekend’.
Wallace left the BBC programme on Thursday (28 November) amid claims made by 13 people who worked with him on shows over a 17-year period.
