New allegations have been made against MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace after multiple women came forward to accuse him of making inappropriate sexual comments.
Wallace has stepped away from his role on the show as MasterChef production company Banijay UK launched an investigation, as last week the BBC announced that 13 women including Kirsty Wark had spoken out.
60-year-old Wallace released a video hitting out at ‘middle-class women of a certain age’, then put out another video apologising for any offence caused by those comments and saying he would ‘take some time out now while this investigation is under way’.
Further allegations have been made against him, as he was accused of groping multiple women and there was an allegation that he once walked into the MasterChef studio naked except for a sock covering his genitals.
Wallace’s legal representatives have said ‘it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature’.
The Sun reports that a former MasterChef contestant claimed he thrust his crotch towards her face while she was crouching down at an oven.
Emma Phillips-Jennings was on the show in 2009 and said she had been discussing her family with Wallace when she made a comment about how her mum ‘hadn’t even seen raw meat until she met my father’.
She said: ” As soon as I said that, Gregg then said, ‘Yeeeaaaah, and he then showed her his meat’. He then thrust his groin towards me three times as I crouched down at the oven.”
She said that ‘no one said anything to him or pulled him up about it’.
Now the BBC reports that it has received new allegations made against Wallace, including a woman saying he touched her bottom at an event and another saying he pressed his crotch against her while filming a programme.
It reports that the allegations were put to representatives for Wallace on Saturday (30 November) and that yesterday (3 December) the BBC announced this year’s Christmas specials of MasterChef would not be shown.
Gregg Wallace has faced more allegations and accusations. (Instagram/@greggawallace)
The broadcaster had decided to show the remaining episodes of the current series of MasterChef, but the Christmas specials will not be shown.
One of the women making allegations against Wallace said she worked on Eat Well For Less in 2015, and while they were filming in a supermarket he touched her ‘inappropriately’.
She said: “He brushed past me at the checkout, and touched my bum with his waist and penis and laughed and said ‘oooh you liked that didn’t you’.”
She described the encounter as ‘slimy, uncomfortable’ and said that at the time she felt as though she had to ‘get on’ with her work, adding that she did raise the matter with a senior colleague.
Another woman who worked on MasterChef in 2015 said she was called into Wallace’s dressing room to help fix his bow tie and claimed his trousers were ‘partially lowered’, exposing part of his pubic hair.
A woman who said she encountered Wallace at an event in 2022 said that he asked her to take him to the car park and allegedly said to her ‘go on, hold my hand, don’t you want to stand next to me’ as he put his arm around her.
She then said they got into a lift where Wallace got people in a group hug where she alleges he ‘put his hand on my bottom and groped me’.
A former MasterChef contestant alleged that Wallace thrust his groin towards her face. (David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Just Eat)
A spokesperson for the BBC 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.
“It would be inappropriate for us to comment on anything that could form part of Banijay’s ongoing investigation or otherwise influence it.”
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MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace has stepped down from the BBC cooking show while historical misconduct complaints from 13 people are being externally reviewed.
The 60-year-old is facing allegations of inappropriate sexual comments over a 17-year-period since becoming a judge on MasterChef in 2005.
Former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark alleges that, on two occasions, Wallace told jokes of a ‘sexualised nature’ when she was a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011.
Amid the allegations is a former staff member who claims that the TV host asked her to clean a stain off his trousers after mimicking a sex act, reports The Telegraph.
The woman said the alleged incident took place over a decade ago.
Another person, remaining anonymous, told the outlet that Wallace once walked into the MasterChef studio ‘completely naked except for a sock pulled over his penis’ before doing a ‘silly dance’.
She alleged that Wallace was ‘very touchy feely’ and made ‘disgusting sex-related jokes’.
Meanwhile, the presenter’s lawyers have said that ‘it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature’.
This comes after Wallace thanked his followers in an Instagram post on Thursday evening (28 November).
“I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reaching out and showing their support,” he said.
“It’s good of you, thank you very much.”
A statement by MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK, read: “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.
The 60-year-old is facing allegations of inappropriate sexual comments over a 17-year-period since becoming a judge on MasterChef in 2005 (BBC)
“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.”
The statement added: “If anyone would like to talk to us or raise any issues or concerns, then they can contact speakup@banijayuk.com in confidence.”
A BBC spokesman also 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.”
MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace has been accused of allegedly groping three women, while historical misconduct complaints from 13 people are being externally reviewed.
The 60-year-old is facing allegations of inappropriate sexual comments over a 17-year-period since becoming a judge on MasterChef in 2005.
Former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark alleges that, on two occasions, Wallace told jokes of a ‘sexualised nature’ when she was a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011.
He has now stepped down from the BBC cooking show while the investigation takes place.
A statement by MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK, read: “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.
MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace is facing more allegations (David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Just Eat)
“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.”
The Sun has since reported that three different women have come forward with claims about Wallace’s alleged behaviour.
One former contestant, who did not want to be named, alleged that he groped on set as the cameras rolled.
Another woman claims Wallace allegedly told her in a pub ‘that she aroused him’, after ‘squeezing’ her bum.
Also, Celebrity MasterChef contestant Emma Kennedy yesterday said she had seen the presenter allegedly grope a camera assistant during a photoshoot for the 2012 finalists.
The 60-year-old is facing allegations of inappropriate sexual comments over a 17-year-period (Keith Mayhew/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, the presenter’s lawyers have said that ‘it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature’.
This comes after Wallace thanked his followers in an Instagram post on Thursday evening (28 November).
“I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reaching out and showing their support,” he said.
“It’s good of you, thank you very much.”
A BBC spokesman also 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.”
LADbible Group has contacted Gregg Wallace’s representatives for comment.
Featured Image Credit: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Just Eat/Keith Mayhew/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Gregg Wallace has stepped away from Masterchef hosting duties following a slew of allegations made against him.
The show’s producers announced earlier this week that the BBC had ‘received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct’ while working with Wallace.
They said the complaints had not been raised with Banijay UK, the production company behind Masterchef, but that they decided to launch an investigation while Wallace stepped away from his role on the show for the time being.
Wallace responded with a statement thanking people who’d got in contact with him to provide support, while the BBC confirmed that 13 people, including newsreader Kirsty Wark, alleged that he had made inappropriate sexual comments.
Wark, who appeared on Celebrity Masterchef in 2011, said that the presenter had told ‘sexualised’ jokes while filming.
Gregg Wallace has stepped back from Masterchef while allegations against him are investigated. (David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Other allegations have followed, as The Sun reported that three women had alleged that they had either been groped by Wallace or seen him grope someone else.
One woman claimed that he groped her on the Masterchef set while the cameras were rolling, while a second alleged that she had been in a pub with Wallace when he told her ‘that she aroused him’ after groping her and the third alleged that she’d seen him groping a camera assistant.
Another allegation, this time reported by the Telegraph, involves a staff member who claimed that Wallace mimicked a sex act and then asked her to clean his trousers, while someone else claimed that he once walked into the Masterchef studio completely naked apart from a sock over his genitals.
Legal representatives for Gregg Wallace said it was ‘entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature’.
Sean Lock said he’d met Gregg Wallace and decided he wasn’t national treasure material. (Channel 4)
Following the allegations some people have been looking at past comments and interactions from other people in the world of showbiz, with Masterchef presenter John Torode saying they’d ‘never been friends’.
One of those is the late and much-loved comedian Sean Lock, who spoke about Wallace on an episode of 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown when he was discussing who he thought should become a national treasure.
He said: “Now this guy – Gregg Wallace. He came close because I like him, because he wears a hair net, even though he’s bald.
“I like him because he’s got no sense of irony or humour. But, I’ve met him.”
After saying this, Lock stamped the word ‘no’ on a picture of Wallace and said ‘no Gregg, he tried to put his spoon in my pudding’.
Another famous face who spoke against Wallace is Rod Stewart, who made his comments after the announcement that Wallace would be stepping back from Masterchef, writing ‘good riddance’ and accusing him of having ‘humiliated my wife when she was on the show’ before calling the presenter a ‘tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully’.
The BBC have confirmed that they plan to broadcast all recorded episodes of Masterchef that they have scheduled.
