The latest Gregg Wallace: Masterchef host says allegations come from ‘middle-class women of a certain age’

MasterChef host Gregg Wallace said allegations he made sexual comments towards staff and guests came from “middle-class women of a certain age”.

Speaking in a video posted on his Instagram page, the 60-year-old said: “I’ve been doing MasterChef for 20 years, amateur, celebrity and professional MasterChef, and I think in that time I’ve worked with over 4,000 people . competitors of all ages, all different backgrounds, all walks of life.

“Apparently now, I read in the paper, there were 13 complaints in that time.

“I see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age, just from Celebrity MasterChef. This is not correct.

“In 20 years, over 20 years of television, can you imagine how many female contestants on MasterChef have made sexual remarks or sexual innuendos? Can you imagine?”

Other allegations were made against the TV presenter Greg Wallace following him who moved away from the hosting hit BBC shows MasterChef while a complaint review is carried out.

On Thursday, the cooking show’s production company, Banijay UK, said the BBC had received complaints from individuals about “historical allegations of misconduct” while working with Wallace.

He is “committed to fully cooperating throughout the process,” the company said.

There were reports Friday night in news outlets such as Sun. newspaper about other alleged behavior by Wallace.

Banijay UK confirmed on Saturday that it had appointed law firm Lewis Silkin to lead an investigation into Wallace’s alleged behaviour.

Gregg Wallace shared another cryptic Instagram post following the allegations against him.

The former Masterchef host took to social media to share a photo of what appeared to be gray stone with the simple message: “We are all different.”

Earlier, he shared an Instagram story of a gingerbread man with the caption: “Enjoy your weekend.”

Wallace resigned from MasterChef amid allegations of sexually inappropriate comments from 13 people who worked with him on a series of shows over a 17-year period.

Among those who claim wrongdoing is the former Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, who claimed Mr Wallace told “sexualised” jokes while filming a film Celebrity MasterChef 2011 episode.

“There were two occasions in particular where he used sexualized language in front of a number of people and it wasn’t as if anyone bought into that,” she said.

Wallace is also said to have been open about his sex life and once told a junior colleague that he did not wear underwear under his jeans, according to the BBC News investigation.

The Independent has reached out to Wallace’s representatives for comment. A BBC spokesman said “any behavior that falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated”.

Gregg Wallace has always been an unlikely TV star. Precociously bald, strong-willed and a proud wearer of thick glasses, he seemed destined for a charmless life among the capital’s vegetable stalls rather than on TV screens across the country.

And yet the presenter, which today backed down from his role as judge on MasterChef after a series of historic allegations of sexual misconduct came to light, he became part of the BBC’s furniture.

And that makes his rapid fall from grace all the more troubling for the corporation, although Wallace’s lawyers say it is completely false that he is engaging in sexual harassment behavior.

Read the full review from Nick Hilton here:

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 BBC Saturday Kitchen in 2002 and has also appeared in Eat Well For Less, Inside The Factory, Turn Back Time, Harvest and Supermarket Secrets.

He was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honors 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 previous relationship. He married Anne-Marie Sterpini in 2016 and the couple have a son named Sid.

Presenter Gregg Wallace has been pulled from an autism charity following allegations he made inappropriate comments to colleagues.

He was announced as Ambitious’ ambassador for Autism after his four-year-old son Sid was diagnosed with the condition.

A spokesperson for Ambitious about Autism said: “In light of the recent allegations, we are no longer working with Gregg Wallace.

“We informed him of our decision and thanked him for his support of our work over the past two years.”

The scenes from Celebrity MasterChef in 2011 they resurfaced after Ms Wark claimed Mr Wallace had made “sexualised” jokes during filming for the show.