Gregg Wallace finally met his match with his fourth wife but their journey to having a family came with some compromises.
The MasterChef star – who has taken a step away from presenting the BBC cooking show while complaints made by individuals about historical allegations of misconduct are externally reviewed – says it felt like he had ‘won the lottery’ when he met Anne-Marie Sterpini, more than 20 years his junior, after three failed marriages.
Gregg Wallace and Anne-Marie tied the knot in 2016 after first interacting on Twitter, and now the couple share a four-year-old son, Sid. However it isn’t just their family-of-three living at home, as they’re joined by Anne’s parents after Gregg suggested she needed the extra help to remain as his ‘fun, sexy girlfriend’ after becoming a mother.
As well as Sid, the 60-year-old has two children, Libby and Tom, with his second wife, former pastry chef Denise, whom he was married to between 1999 and 2004. Before that, he tied the knot with his first wife, Christine, in 1991 – but their marriage only lasted six weeks.
Gregg was also married to Heidi Brown between 2011 and 2012 – which he later dubbed a ‘huge mistake’. Since getting married a fourth time, Gregg says Anna has changed his life for the better and helped him to lose five stone.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain in January this year, he explained: “That young woman has revolutionised my life, there’s a 22-year age gap, we have been together ten years and have a son, Sid, and I want to be there for them.”
The star has spoken candidly about his romance over the years and gave an insight into how he met Anna on Twitter. She asked him if rhubarb really went well with duck after seeing him try a recipe on a cooking show.
He previously told HELLO! Magazine: “I just looked at Anna’s photo and thought, ‘Wow, she’s pretty’. So yes, rhubarb, which was considered an aphrodisiac in medieval times, brought us together.” He later shared more about their love story while appearing on ITV’s Lorraine, revealing he sent her a message on Twitter and they began messaging. “Then I sent her my phone number, this was five years ago,” he confessed.
However, Anna wasn’t certain that he was the real deal until they met up for the first time in person. “She came down to London to have dinner with me, and she said it wasn’t until we got to the restaurant, that she was comfortable it was really me and not an impostor,” he continued.
The pair tied the knot at Hever Castle in August 2016 after three years of dating, and said ‘I do’ in front of guests including John Torode, who was Gregg’s best man, Lisa Faulkner, Marcus Wareing, and Monica Galetti. Speaking to Kate Thornton about love on the White Wine Question Time podcast, he said: “What has love taught me? That it is an absolute game of chance and that is it. It is a complete and utter lottery. I am very fortunate I got the winning ticket. I won the Euro Millions the day that young lady walked into my life.”
Despite this being his fourth time down the aisle, Gregg was keen for everyone to know he was serious about his relationship and wasn’t rushing into another marriage. He told HELLO! Magazine: “Meeting Anna has brought me what I think I’ve always been searching for – that big, warm family dynamic and there’s real strength in that.
“I’m very conscious of people thinking I just do this willy-nilly. But we haven’t rushed into this – we’ve been together for three years and I truly have never met anyone like Anna.” The presenter went on to share how she was his ‘dream girl’ and is ‘beautiful inside and out’.
Since getting married, the couple have also spoken about their 22-year age gap, with Gregg making jokes about it from time to time – especially after the birth of their son, Sid, in May 2019. Speaking on Loose Women, panelist Judi Love asked him what it was like to be an older dad and Gregg replied that he was happy that Anna has someone close to her age to keep her company. He joked: “Baby Sid. You haven’t met Mrs Wallace but I was really pleased she had a baby because it’s someone at home more her own age to talk to.”
Anne-Marie being able to have a baby with the TV star was a sticking point for the couple, with them having to have serious discussions about starting a family very early on in the relationship. Speaking with Event Magazine, Gregg said: “When you fall in love with a younger woman, you’ve got to realise that the chances are they are going to want a family. I remember [her] saying to me, ‘I’m going to want to get married and have children. If that’s not what you want, then don’t mess me about’.”
Meanwhile the couple’s living arrangements have raised eyebrows, as Gregg revealed they live in his £1million Kent mansion with Anna’s parents, Rina and Massimo. In an interview with the Daily Mail in 2020, Gregg revealed that the arrangement came about when Anna told him she wanted to have children.
“I said: ‘Yes, I’m willing to have a baby with you, but a couple of provisos … I’m not willing to swap my fun, sexy girlfriend for an exhausted mum. We make enough money, I’d like you to get help in the house.’ Anna said ‘What about my mum?’ That was perfect,” Gregg explained.
He revealed that his in-laws also help around the house, and even sleep with Sid in their room for half the week so Gregg and Anna get a break. While he has an unusual set-up with his in-laws, he does have a close bond with mother-in-law Rina, because they’re very close in age. “I love Rina – we have such a giggle. We are roughly the same age,” he told The Sun.”Me and Rina remember the same TV shows and sing the same 1970s pop songs. Anna doesn’t know what we are talking about. We were singing Boney M at breakfast this morning and Anna has no idea.”
Gregg now faces allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, as reported by BBC News which said it sent a letter to the TV star’s representatives earlier this week. Among the BBC News complainants is former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark, who alleged he told jokes of a “sexualised nature” when she was competing on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011.
The TV star’s lawyers say “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”, BBC News reported. Earlier on Thursday, it was announced that Wallace is “committed to fully co-operating” with an external review by MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK.
A statement 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 under way, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully co-operating 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 statement added: “If anyone would like to talk to us or raise any issues or concerns, then they can contact [email protected] in confidence.”