Gregg Wallace latest: Masterchef presenter breaks silence with Instagram post as he’s dropped by charity
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 broken his silence with a social media post, two days after allegations that he made a number of inappropriate sexual comments began to emerge.
Taking to Instagram, the Masterchef presenter shared a 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.
Penny Lancaster has said she is prepared to go to the ‘appropriate authorities’ over his behaviour, after the MasterChef host stepped down following allegations he made inappropriate sexual comments over multiple years.
Ms Lancaster’s husband, Rod Stewart, took to Instagram on Thursday to accuse Wallace of “humiliating” his wife and then having the footage “cut” when she was a contestant on the celebrity version of Masterchef in 2021.
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.
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 stepping away from MasterChef amid external review
Rod Stewart accuses ‘bully’ Gregg Wallace of ‘humiliating’ his wife on Celebrity MasterChef
Inside Gregg Wallace’s rocky love life with four wives as he exits MasterChef amid misconduct claims
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Another ‘Celebrity MasterChef’ star speaks out against Gregg Wallace
TV personality Charlotte Crosby has claimed that Gregg Wallace was “extremely unpleasant” to her on Celebrity MasterChef.
The Geordie Shore alum made the allegation in response to Rod Stewart’s scathing post, in which he branded the host a “bully” for his alleged treatment of his wife Penny Lancaster when she appeared on the BBC series.
Gregg Wallace thanks public for support in statement
Gregg Wallace has posted on Instagram thanking people for “showing their support” after he stepped away from presenting BBC MasterChef following allegations he made inappropriate sexual comments.
“I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reaching out and showing their support,”
Wallace said in the video, posted on his account.“That’s good of you, thank you very much,” he added.
The 60-year-old faces allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, as reported by BBC News which said it sent a letter to the TV star’s representatives earlier this week.
Ex-’Celeb MasterChef’ star says Gregg Wallace has ‘never really grown up’
How Clean is Your House star Aggie MacKenzie says Gregg Wallace “behaved like a sort of Sid James character” when she was on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011.
MacKenzie compared Wallace to the characters played by James in the Carry On films while addressing the BBC’s investigation into inappropriate comments he’s alleged to have made over a 17-year period.
“He made stupid, unfunny jokes that people kind of had to tolerate,” Mackenzie told Times Radio, adding: “It’s as if he’s never really grown up or been properly supervised and told to kind of watch what he’s saying.”
She said that Wallace and his former co-host John Torode “behave very differently” when cameras aren’t rolling.
“I observed that when the cameras were off, they would go to separate ends of the room. They didn’t really communicate or have a connection off screen.”
Kirsty Wark claims Wallace made ‘sexualised jokes’
Former BBC Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark has claimed Wallace told “sexualised” jokes during filming of a Celebrity Masterchef episode in 2011.
“There were two occasions in particular where he used sexualised language in front of a number of people and it wasn’t as if anyone engaged with this,” she said.
“It was completely one-way traffic. But I think people were uncomfortable and something that I really did not expect to happen.”
Ulrika Jonsson makes ‘rape joke’ claim
Ulrika Jonsson has claimed that Gregg Wallace made a “rape joke” while filming Celebrity MasterChef in 2017.
Jonsson said that another female contestant, whom she didn’t know, became “really distressed” after the alleged comment.
“They then went off to speak to Gregg,” Jonsson told The Telegraph. “After a while he came up…and he apologised. He could hardly get his words out... He was apologising, and he had tears in his eyes.”
Sir Rod Stewart calls Gregg Wallace a ‘bully'
Sir Rod Stewart has hit out at “bully” Gregg Wallace for allegedly “humiliating” his wife when she was on MasterChef.
The musician’s claims arrive after it was announced Wallace had stepped down from the BBC cookery competition following allegations of inappropriate sexual comments over several years.
In the wake of the news that the BBC was investigating Wallace’s behaviour, Stewart shared a post in which he claimed the host treated Penny Lancaster in a nasty manner when she was on the show in 2021.
More here:
Rod Stewart says ‘bully’ Gregg Wallace ‘humiliated’ his wife on Celebrity MasterChef
‘You had that bit cut out, didn’t you?’ singer said after Wallace stepped down as host
Watch: Gregg Wallace breaks silence after 'stepping away' from MasterChef amid misconduct allegations
Wallace ‘fully cooperating’ with production company review
Gregg Wallace is “committed to fully co-operating” with an external review by MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK.
A statement by the company said: “This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows.
“Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate.
“While this review is under way, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully co-operating throughout the process.
“Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.
“Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.”
Poor behaviour ‘will not be tolerated’, BBC says
A BBC spokesman said: “We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them.
“We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
“Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them.”