Gregg Wallace has confessed he will never interact with the BBC ever again and won’t watch future seasons of MasterChef following his sacking from the corporation
Gregg Wallace has conceded his career is over after he was fired from the BBC following accusations of inappropriate behaviour. He was a judge on MasterChef, the celebrity version of the series, and MasterChef The Professionals on the BBC from 2005 until he was suspended last year.
This month, the BBC upheld 45 claims out of 83 allegations spanning from 2005 until 2024 against the star and confirmed they had “no plans to work with him in future”. The 60-year-old father-of-three – who yesterday insisted “I’m not a groper, a sex pest or a flasher” following the conclusion of the BBC investigation – has now admitted his TV career is over beyond his BBC contracts.
The BBC has confirmed they will air the final season of MasterChef that was recorded with Wallace and his co-host John Torode that was filmed before accusations began to emerge against Wallace. Torode has also been dropped from MasterChef after an investigation concluded he had used racist language in the past.
Wallace has backed his former co-star, defending him from the allegations that ended his MasterChef contract. Now he has admitted his belief that he will never work on screen again. He also shared his worries about his financial security as he has a young family.
Opening up to The Sun, Wallace said: “I’m hurt. I don’t want anything to do with telly. I don’t want anything to do with the BBC.” He went on to allege that he had been a victim of sexual harassment and that he had always overlooked inappropriate behaviour.
He told the publication: “The whole complaints procedure needs to be readdressed – there are huge problems with it as things stand.
“Being on MasterChef was brilliant but I had so many bad experiences on that show too. Had I wanted to raise any complaints, I’d have had the decency to speak to that person directly. Privately, not publicly.”
He went on to list a number of alleged incidents where, he claims, he was groped by women when they asked him for selfies and that female contestants on MasterChef made inappropriate comments to him.
Having been accused of exposing himself while on the set of MasterChef, Wallace has reasoned that he would change his clothes in front of others and wasn’t shy about revealing his torso. He has also acknowledged that much of the upheld criticism centred around his use of sexualised or inappropriate remarks, which he has taken responsibility for, but attributes this to his upbringing.
Reflecting on the experience, he admitted to The Sun on Friday: “I have learnt a lot about myself over the past eight months or so… I understand now and to anyone I have hurt, I am so sorry.”
He added: “I don’t expect anyone to have any sympathy with me but I don’t think I am a wrong ’un.”
Earlier this month, Wallace said he was “deeply sorry for any distress” he caused with his past behaviour after the BBC concluded their investigation. In a statement released via the PA, he insisted that he “never set out to harm or humiliate” anyone.
MasterChef’s production company, Banijay, employed an independent law firm to conduct the investigation into the allegations made against Wallace.
The incident sparked comment from the government, with the Prime Minister’s official spokesman saying: “We’re clear that appropriate steps must be taken to ensure abuses of power are prevented from happening in the future.”
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