The BBC threatened to sack Gregg Wallace years ago unless his behaviour improved, but failed to act when further concerns about the presenter were raised.
A senior Corporation executive wrote to the MasterChef host in 2019, following allegations about his conduct in the workplace.
Kate Phillips, the BBC’s chief content officer, said she would cut ties with Wallace, 60, if they learnt of any further claims from staff.
She said that the BBC “will not tolerate behaviour to occur on any productions that is inappropriate, unprofessional and/or has the effect on individuals to feel sexually harassed”.
But it took the BBC six years to dismiss Wallace ahead of the expected publication of a report into his past actions, which includes alleged groping and touching.
The revelations, which were first revealed by The Daily Telegraph, raises fresh questions over why the BBC kept Wallace on their books amid mounting complaints.
Ms Phillips’ letter followed reports about behaviour on at least two of his shows: Impossible Celebrities and Celebrity MasterChef.
In 2023, on Inside the Factory, Wallace allegedly made inappropriate remarks about the weight of people working at a Nestle plant.
Wallace left the show soon after, although an HR review by production company Voltage TV did not make a finding against him.
Despite this, the BBC did not end its working relationship with Wallace as promised and he continued working on other projects.
The BBC will not tolerate behaviour to occur on any productions that is inappropriate
The same year, a former policeman who claimed he witnessed Wallace making inappropriate sexual comments at a charity event complained to the BBC, but never heard back.
There were two other alleged incidents during this period, although there is no evidence they were reported to BBC management.
According to BBC News, one alleged incident involved a MasterChef staff member, 19, who tried to complain about Wallace’s comments regarding her body.
Wallace was taken off the air in November 2024 after the BBC received complaints from 13 people, which has since grown to more than 50.
The BBC’s letter suggests that executives spoke to Wallace about their concerns in the late 2000s, and twice in 2013, including about an incident where he punched a member of the public.
MasterChef’s production company Banijay has not yet published the report by Lewis Silkin, but Wallace claims he had been cleared of serious wrongdoing.
However, the former greengrocer acknowledged "some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate”.
In a letter sent this week after two decades of service, the BBC told Wallace it did not “have the confidence that you can change what seems to be learned behaviour”.
Friends of Wallace said he is preparing to sue the BBC for discrimination over his autism diagnosis, which they claim is the reason for his sacking because they “can’t cope with a disabled person”.
Numerous celebrities have publicly criticised Wallace, including former Newsnight anchor Kirsty Wark, radio presenter Aasmah Mir and Location, Location, Location host Kirstie Allsopp.
A report published in April into the BBC found that a small number of its stars and managers "behave unacceptably" at work and that bosses often failed to tackle them.
In response, the Corporation said it would introduce reforms, with chairman Samir Shah saying he would draw "a line in the sand".
A spokesman for Wallace said: "Gregg continues to co-operate fully with the ongoing Banijay UK review and as previously stated, denies engaging in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature."
The BBC said: “Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace. We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.”
