Controversy around MasterChef has deepened after it emerged that a complaint about the use of racially inappropriate language had been upheld against host John Torode.
The TV presenter said he had “no recollection of the incident” and was “shocked and saddened” by the allegation, in a statement on Instagram on Monday (14 July).
It comes after the outcome of an investigation into Gregg Wallace was released, confirming that 45 allegations against the host had been upheld, including one of unwelcome physical contact.
Of the 83 claims made against Wallace, several instances of inappropriate sexual language and humour were substantiated. The investigation’s overview said that a “smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also” upheld.
However, the relationship between Torode and Wallace, who have both presented the revamped cooking programme since 2005, has always been slightly more complicated.
March 2013 - Torode tells The Independent he had doubts about Wallace when they met
“In 2005 I was asked to go to an interview about some cooking show and Karen Ross, the boss at Shine, the production company involved, said: 'I'd love you to do it, but I need to audition people to partner you with.' I had everyone from AA Gill to Oliver Peyton,” he explained.
"One day she asked, 'Do you know a guy called Gregg Wallace?' I had misgivings, as Gregg was big, brash and loud. Actually, nothing has changed, except no one expected the success the show has had.”
He added: "We used to argue about stuff, as we're both so opinionated. In the first series it was over Thomasina Miers who went on to win that series."
2016 - Torode is best man at Wallace’s wedding
When Wallace married Anne-Marie Sterpini in 2016, he picked Torode as his best man for the occasion, despite Torode’s apparent attempts to distance himself.
2017 - “Never been friends” statement
The host caused a stir when he told The Mirror that he had never been friends with Wallace. “It’s funny, we’ve never been friends. We’ve not been to each other’s houses. If we go away to somewhere like South Africa, we do things separately. If we do go out for a drink, I’ll invariably be at one end of a big old table and he’ll be at the other.”
Wallace later told Lorraine: “I film with John six or seven months of the year, so we are very close to each other physically, and emotionally we are very close to each other. What’s great about having a partnership is that if one of you is a bit off, a bit down, the other one naturally steps up, so I rely on John a lot.”
June 2023 - Torode admits they have an unconventional friendship
"He's a friend, don't get me wrong, but I don't go to the pub with him, we've both not been to each other's houses... we just don't do it,” he told the Desert Island Dishes podcast. He added the pair have “great respect for each other”.
December 2024 – Host releases statement following Wallace scandal
Relations between Wallace and the BBC turned sour after allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour emerged last year. At the time, Torode released a statement saying that the accusations had been “truly upsetting”.
“The thought of anyone who has appeared on our show not having a brilliant experience is awful to hear,” he wrote in a post on Instagram. “Since last Friday I have been away filming MasterChef overseas. I love my job, and I love MasterChef. I love being part of it and will continue to be part of it. During the last few days, I’ve been trying to make the best cookery programme, so being busy making the show and caring for our contestants has allowed me little time to think about anything else, but that has been hard.
“But as I hope everyone appreciates there is an investigation under way, which I fully support, so I cannot make any further comment at this stage and I hope that you all understand and respect my silence on the matter moving forward.”
July 2025 – Torode responds to allegations of “racial language”
In response to accusations of racist language, Torode wrote: “Following publication of the Executive Summary of the investigation into Gregg Wallace while working on MasterChef, I am aware of speculation that I am one of the two other individuals against whom an allegation has been upheld.
“For the sake of transparency, I confirm that I am the individual who is alleged to have used racial language on one occasion. The allegation is that I did so sometime in 2018 or 2019, in a social situation, and that the person I was speaking with did not believe that it was intended in a malicious way and that I apologised immediately afterwards.
“I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe that it happened. However, I want to be clear that I’ve always had the view that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment. I’m shocked and saddened by the allegation as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence.”
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