Chef John Torode was reportedly axed from MasterChef yesterday after BBC boss Tim Davie said no star was bigger than the show – and it’s now emerged how John found out
Masterchef’s John Torode was left in shock yesterday after he found out he had been unceremoniously dropped from the popular cooking series, having discovered his fate on the BBC website.
The unexpected ousting followed comments from BBC boss Tim Davie, who stated that no presenter is bigger than the show itself, as reported by The Sun.
The famed cook, aged 59, was reportedly devastated when the BBC and production company Banijay confirmed his sudden exit amid allegations of racist language, coming in the wake of the explosive Gregg Wallace scandal.
An insider disclosed:
“John had no idea. He was blindsided.”
In a remarkable turn of events, it emerged that the Aussie chef’s representative was given a mere 11 minutes’ heads-up before the news was made public, reports the Express.
An source shared:
“John’s agent received a call 11 minutes before the statements went out and hadn’t had a chance to call him.
“He read about it on the BBC News website. Obviously he’s heartbroken.
“He feels he’s been made a scapegoat off the back of the Gregg Wallace report.”
Despite the controversy, Torode took to Instagram with a resolute message: “Although I haven’t heard from anyone at the BBC or Banijay – I am seeing and reading that I’ve been ‘sacked’ from MasterChef and I repeat that I have no recollection of what I’m accused of.
“I have loved every minute working on MasterChef, but it’s time to pass the cutlery to someone else.”
The shocking report into the conduct of MasterChef co-host Gregg Wallace, 60, validated an astonishing 45 out of 83 complaints dating from 2005 to 2024, culminating in his own spectacular downfall.
As we disclosed yesterday, BBC executives had insisted at the weekend that Torode step down, alleging he was grappling with mental health problems. He declined to do so.