Gregg Wallace latest: Kirstie Allsopp slams ‘sex act’ remark amid backlash over blaming ‘women of certain age’
Host faces allegations of making inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people over a 17-year period
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Kirstie Allsopp is the latest figure to accuse Gregg Wallace of inappropriate behaviour amid backlash over the Masterchef presenter blaming “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.”
Presenter Kirstie Allsopp responded to his remarks by claiming that Wallace made “unprofessional” comments about a sex act when they were filming a pilot for a TV show.
Allsopp said the remarks left her feeling “embarrassed” and added: “That is unacceptable. Because he is essentially saying this is a class issue and middle-class women don’t understand the type of things he says because he’s working-class. Well I’m sorry, but he’s doing a incredible disservice to men.”
Politicians have also spoken out about concerns surrounding the allegations. The Conservative chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Caroline Dinenage, vowed to raise concerns to BBC bosses when possible.
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”.
Gregg Wallace dropped by autism charity
Presenter Gregg Wallace has been dropped from an autism charity in the wake of allegations that he made inappropriate comments to colleagues.
He was announced as an ambassador to Ambitious about Autism after his son Sid, four, was diagnosed with the condition.
An Ambitious about Autism spokesperson said: “In light of recent allegations, we are no longer working with Gregg Wallace.
“We have let him know our decision and thanked him for his support of our work over the last two years.”
Gregg Wallace and Kirsty Wark clash in MasterChef kitchen in resurfaced clip
Gregg Wallace and former BBC Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark clash in the MasterChef kitchen in a resurfaced clip.
The scenes, from Celebrity MasterChef in 2011, have resurfaced after Ms Wark claimed Mr Wallace told “sexualised” jokes during filming for the show.
Gregg Wallace and Kirsty Wark clash in MasterChef kitchen in resurfaced clip
Gregg Wallace and former BBC Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark clash in the MasterChef kitchen in a resurfaced clip. The scenes, from Celebrity MasterChef in 2011, have resurfaced after Ms Wark claimed Mr Wallace told “sexualised” jokes during filming for the show. Mr Wallace stepped down from the BBC show on Thursday (28 November) amid allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people who worked with him across a range of shows over a 17-year period. The Independent has contacted Mr Wallace’s representatives for comment. A BBC spokesperson said “any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated”.
Letter sent to BBC about Gregg Wallace’s behaviour in 2022, reports claim
A letter outlining allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Gregg Wallace was sent to the BBC two years ago, reports have claimed.
The letter, which was seen by the Observer, contained claims from several women including complaints of sexualised comments, but did not prompt any further investigation at the time.
The Guardian reported that it was sent by director and producer Dawn Elrick in 2022, on behalf of other women who contacted her. She said she was told each complainant would have to contact the broadcasters individually.
“This is very tricky for freelancers to do without identifying themselves, which makes life extremely tricky in the freelance world,” she told the paper. “Placing the onus on individual employees/freelancers means they failed to see that I was trying to tell them there was a pattern of alleged behaviour.”
A BBC spokesperson told the Observer: “If issues are raised with us we have robust processes in place to deal with them swiftly and appropriately. We will always listen if people want to make us aware of something directly.
“It would be inappropriate for us to comment on anything that could form part of Banijay’s ongoing investigation or otherwise influence it.”
‘We are all different’: Wallace shares cryptic Instagram post
Gregg Wallace has shared another cryptic Instagram post in the wake of allegations against himself.
The former Masterchef host took to social media to share a picture of what appeared to be grey stone with simple message: “We are all different.”