TV presenter Gregg Wallace quit his BBC MasterChef presenting role after complaints from individuals about historical allegations of misconduct. And now many can’t help but remember the star’s brutal X (formerly Twitter) exchange as the news came out
TV presenter Gregg Wallace quit his BBC MasterChef presenting role after complaints from individuals about historical allegations of misconduct.
And now many can’t help but remember the star’s savage X (formerly Twitter) exchange as the news came out
Gregg Wallace hit headlines this week after he stepped down from his MasterChef presenting role amid a probe into misconduct claims. The 60-year-old TV presenter, from Peckham, London, quit his BBC job after complaints from individuals about historical allegations of misconduct.
Former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark is among 13 people who have accused the MasterChef presenter of making inappropriate sexual comments, BBC News reported. Kirsty was on MasterChef back in 2011 and has claimed that Wallace told “jokes of a sexualised nature” on two occasions during filming.
Wallace’s lawyers say “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”.
The news means Gregg has been trending online as people share their views on the situation, and many couldn’t help but remember one of the TV star’s brutal X (formerly Twitter) exchanges as the news came out.
Journalist Jay Motty, who uses the handle @JayMotty took to the site so share a screenshot of the Twitter messages, as he wrote: “Seeing Gregg Wallace trending reminds me of one of the all time great Twitter exchanges.”
The unearthed tweet saw a man called Nick Holder write: “GreggAWallace Hi Greg, I am cycling just over 180 miles in 2 days for Macmillan Cancer Support. Any chance of an RT?” Instead of reply to the man’s message about his heartwarming pledge, Gregg just bluntly questioned how he had spelt his name, writing: “Gregg?”
Nick replied at the time: “No worries mate, it’s only people with cancer. You worry about your extra G.”
A statement from MasterChef’s production company Banijay UK to PA news agency says Wallace is “committed to fully cooperating throughout the process” of the probe.
Kirsty has said Wallace’s alleged jokes happened when crew and other contestants were present. She claims Wallace’s alleged remarks were “really, really in the wrong place”.
BBC News said it had also been told of other allegations, including the presenter “talking openly about his sex life, taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to ‘give her a fashion show’, and telling a junior female colleague he was not wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans”.
The statement announcing the investigation said: “This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows. Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate. While this review is underway, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully cooperating throughout the process.
“Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set. Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.”
The BBC said it takes any issues that are raised with it “seriously” after it was announced Wallace will step away from his MasterChef role while complaints made to the corporation from individuals about historical allegations of misconduct are investigated.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them. We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated. Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them.”
Wallace has presented MasterChef alongside John Torode since 2005, as well as its spin-offs Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals.