TV presenter Gregg Wallace has been sacked from his presenting role on MasterChef following a review into allegations of historical misconduct. The 60-year-old former greengrocer was dismissed by production company Banijay after an investigation that began in November last year.
Wallace stepped away from hosting the BBC show in November 2024 amid initial allegations from 13 people across various programmes over a 17-year period. The claims included inappropriate sexual comments, taking his top off in front of female workers, and making sexualised jokes during filming.
Fresh allegations emerge
BBC News reports that 50 additional people have now come forward with fresh claims about Wallace's behaviour. The new allegations include claims he groped one MasterChef worker and pulled his trousers down in front of another colleague.
The investigation was launched by Banijay UK, which appointed law firm Lewis Silkin to conduct an external review. While BBC News says it has not seen the final review, it understands Wallace has been dismissed from his presenting role.
Celebrity complaints surface
Several high-profile figures spoke out against Wallace during the initial wave of allegations. Broadcaster Kirsty Wark, who appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011, said he told "sexualised" jokes during filming.
Model Ulrika Jonsson told The Telegraph that Wallace allegedly made a "rape joke" during her 2017 appearance on Celebrity MasterChef, which caused another female contestant to become "really distressed". Sir Rod Stewart accused Wallace of "humiliating" his wife Penny Lancaster on the show in 2021.
Government intervention
The allegations prompted intervention from Downing Street after Wallace initially responded by claiming the accusations came from "middle-class women of a certain age". Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (Labour) said politicians should be ready to put mechanisms in place to ensure women are taken seriously when reporting inappropriate behaviour.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy held talks with BBC bosses following the controversy. She later told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee she was "prepared to take further action" if the creative industries could not address "cultures of silence and issues being swept under the rug".
Wallace's response
Wallace apologised for any "offence" or "upset" caused by his initial response and said he would "take some time out" during the investigation. In April, he told the Daily Mail he "thought about suicide all the time" after the allegations emerged.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Wallace claimed the investigation "exonerates me of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year". He said he had been cleared of the "most serious and sensational accusations" against him, ahead of the published review.
The BBC pulled two MasterChef celebrity Christmas specials from its schedule in December following the initial allegations. Wallace's lawyers previously said "it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature".
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
