Gregg Wallace latest: Masterchef host issues statement amid misconduct allegations
Mr Wallace 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.BBC Masterchef host Gregg Wallace has thanked fans for “showing support” after he quit the show following allegations he made inappropriate sexual comments over multiple years.
Mr Wallace stepped down from the BBC programme on Thursday amid allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people who worked with him on shows over a 17-year period.
Among those alleging misconduct is former BBC Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, who claimed Mr Wallace told “sexualised” jokes during filming of a Celebrity Masterchef episode in 2011.
Addressing the allegations in a social media video, Mr Wallace said: “I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reaching out and showing their support. That’s good of you, thank you very much.”
The 60-year-old allegedly also talked openly about his sex life and once told a junior female colleague he wasn’t wearing any underwear under his jeans, according to the BBC News investigation.
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”.
Masterchef to air tonight despite Wallace stepping down
Recorded episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals featuring Mr Wallace will transmit as planned, with the next episode due to air at 8pm tonight, it is understood.
The 60-year-old stepped down from the BBC show amid allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people who worked with him across a range of shows over a 17-year period.
Among those alleging misconduct is former BBC Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, who claimed Mr Wallace told “sexualised” jokes during filming of a Celebrity Masterchef episode in 2011.
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.
In focus: From troubled childhood to troubling reputation, this TV stalwart is facing self-destruction
The greengrocer-turned-presenter is stepping back from ‘MasterChef’ while allegations of historical misconduct are investigated.
The Independent’s chief TV critic Nick Hilton looks back on his career as an unlikely TV star, which followed a tough start in life.
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
Wallace made ‘sexualised jokes’, Kirsty Wark claims
Former BBC Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark has claimed Mr 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.”
What allegations is Wallace facing?
Mr Wallace has stepped down from Masterchef amid allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people who worked with him across a range of shows over a 17-year period.
Among those alleging misconduct is former BBC Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, who claimed Mr 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.
Mr Wallace allegedly also talked openly about his sex life and once told a junior female colleague he wasn’t wearing any underwear under his jeans, according to the BBC News investigation.
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”.
Rod Stewart brands Gregg Wallace ‘ill-mannered bully'
Sir Rod Stewart has accused Masterchef host Gregg Wallace of humiliating his wife after she was reduced to tears on his show three years ago.
Sir Rod branded Mr Wallace, 60, a “tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully” following Penny Lancaster’s appearance on an episode in which the celebrity chef refused to eat her food in 2021.
Writing on Instagram, Sir Rod said: “So Gregg Wallace gets fired from Masterchef. Good riddance Wallace.
“You humiliated my wife when she was on the show, but you had that bit cut out didn’t you?
“You’re a tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully. Karma got ya. Sir Rod Stewart.”