John Torode addressed his firing from MasterChef while making his first public appearance since his departure from the cooking show.
The chef, 60, was fired from MasterChef in July after allegations that he used a racial slur during an after-work drinks in 2018.
He returned to the spotlight at a food festival in Nottinghamshire on Sunday, telling fans: “Life goes on! I've had a lot of support and I'm very grateful.”
His wife Lisa Faulkner also attended the Festival of Food & Drink and told the Daily Mail: “MasterChef will not be the same without John. But he's doing OK.”
Torode gave two live demonstrations at the festival at Thoresby Hall, receiving plenty of support and cheers when he first walked out to the crowd.
He reportedly gave a smile but didn’t respond when a supporter said to him, “That dreadful Gregg Wallace stitched you up!” regarding his departure from MasterChef.
Torode had pulled out of appearing at a food festival in County Durham in August, but honoured his commitment to the Nottinghamshire slot, which had had been pre-booked before his BBC TV downfall.
Wallace, 60, was dropped from the BBC cooking competition in November 2024 amid numerous allegations of inappropriate conduct in the workplace.
He unfollowed Torode and Faulkner on Instagram in December, with sources claiming at the time that he was “furious” his former co-host had not defended him publicly amid the furore.
Wallace previously discussed his relationship with Torode, telling The Sun: “We never really did get on that well.
“We’re two very, very different characters. But we made bloody good telly together for 20 years.”
The former greengrocer did, however, defend Torode - who he began working with in 2005 - against claims that he was “racist”.
“I’ve known John for 30 years and he is not a racist,” Wallace said.
“And as evidence of that, I’ll show you the incredible diversity of the people that he has championed, MasterChef winners, over the years.”
Torode was accused of saying the N-word while singing along to Kanye West’s song, Gold Digger, at a work gathering.
Torode said he had “no recollection of the incident” and was “shocked and saddened” by the allegation.
The Australian born chef and Wallace will be replaced by food critic Grace Dent and Irish chef Anna Haugh in the upcoming 22nd amateur series of MasterChef.
