Gregg Wallace has launched a tirade against the BBC after being fired following a MasterChef misconduct investigation, in which he was “found guilty of inappropriate language.”
It comes as 50 more people have approached the BBC with new claims about the TV presenter, including allegations he groped one MasterChef worker. Wallace denies the claims.
The presenter, 60, released a lengthy statement on Instagram on Tuesday claiming he has been axed by the broadcaster, where he has worked for the past 21 years, after a six-month investigation into his on-set behaviour.
A BBC spokesperson told The Independent: “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.”
However, Wallace said he has decided to share the findings prematurely after allegedly being “exonerated of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year”.
Wallace nevertheless “apologised without reservation” for the language he was found “primarily guilty of”, stating: “I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate.”
Later in his post, Wallace said he had recently been diagnosed with autism.
The presenter ranted about the BBC’s decision to fire him, saying he “does not take it lightly” after “21 years of loyal service”.
“I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others,” he wrote.
“I have now been cleared by the Silkins report of the most serious and sensational accusations made against me.
“The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation.”
The Independent understands that the BBC cannot fire Wallace as it does not employ him.
Wallace further accused the BBC of “peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories”.
“I was hired by the BBC and MasterChef as the cheeky greengrocer. A real person with warmth, character, rough edges and all. For over two decades, that authenticity was part of the brand.
"Now, in a sanitised world, that same personality is seen as a problem.”
“My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef.”
He concluded his lengthy statement by vowing to “not go quietly”.
“I will not be cancelled for convenience. I was tried by media and hung out to dry well before the facts were established. The full story of this incredible injustice must be told and it is very much a matter of public interest.”
Wallace stepped away from hosting the BBC cooking competition after a host of historical complaints came to light last year, which led to an external investigation by the show’s production company Banijay UK.
Wallace, 60, has hosted the BBC cooking show alongside John Torode since 2005 and has also fronted other programmes including Inside the Factory, Big Weekends Away and Supermarket Secrets.
In late 2024, it was reported that the BBC had been made aware of complaints as far back as 2017, while it was claimed that a letter had been sent to the broadcaster in 2022 stating that women had been made to feel “uncomfortable” in the 60-year-old’s presence.
The MasterChef presenter has faced a string of allegations, including of making “inappropriate sexual jokes”, asking for the phone numbers of female members of production staff, and undressing in front of and standing “too close” to women working on his shows.
Kirstie Allsopp alleged Wallace once made a comment to her about his sex life, which left her “so embarrassed” she thought she “might cry”.
The Sunday Times reported that BBC executive Kate Phillips raised concerns that Wallace’s behaviour was “unacceptable and cannot continue” after broadcaster and former Celebrity MasterChef contestant Aasmah Mir complained about inappropriate comments during filming.
The newspaper claimed Wallace received another warning the following year after a complaint was raised about his behaviour on the quiz show Impossible Celebrities.
The Sunday Telegraph reported producer Georgia Harding, who worked on MasterChef between 2014 and 2015 and later Eat Well For Less, claimed she raised concerns about “inappropriate” behaviour from him while working on the show.
She alleged the presenter undressed in front of colleagues and “made inappropriate sexual jokes” in front of the crew and people appearing on the shows.
The former greengrocer was also accused of making lewd comments and asking for the personal phone numbers of female production staff in a letter that Dawn Elrick, a producer and director, claimed to have sent to the BBC in 2022.
Elrick told the Observer, the letter had been submitted with the support of industry union Bectu, and added she also submitted the allegations to the corporation via Navex Global, an external whistleblowing service.
Allegations were also raised by staff members about Wallace’s behaviour on Channel 5’s Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends to BBC News.
He also faces allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, as reported by BBC News.
Strictly Come Dancing 2025 rumoured celebrities revealed
The Velvet Sundown: Everything we know about the band accused of being AI
Red Dwarf star cancels public appearances after ‘medical situation’
Gary Lineker holds back tears as he says BBC should ‘hang its head in shame’
The scandals that have rocked the Love Island USA season 7 villa so far
RHOC star pulled over by police nearly two years after drunk driving charge
