Dame Prue Leith has spoken out in support of Gregg Wallace amidst allegations of misconduct, suggesting the TV chef shouldn't be sacked. The beloved Great British Bake Off star weighed in on the controversy with words of wisdom as Wallace faces historical allegations and steps back from his BBC cooking show role.
Reportedly accused of harassment and inappropriate behaviour while filming a show, though strongly denied by Wallace's lawyers, Dame Prue still sees no reason for a sacking. On Times Radio, Prue, 84, emphasised the need for due process and advised against rash decisions: "I'm a great believer in due process... He should just stay off social media because he's just digging himself deeper and deeper into a hole because he's too insensitive to understand how offensive it is. But that's his problem, that he's insensitive. He hasn't, that I can see, disobeyed the law."
She added: "I don't believe people should be cancelled or sacked. I can see why you would ask somebody to step aside while they investigate things, which I suppose is what they're doing. But I think the tragedy in this is that I bet you Gregg has no idea what he's done wrong."
Despite her stance against terminating Gregg's role, Dame Prue Leith concedes that television higher-ups ought to enforce firmer standards on their on-screen talent. She expressed her view to Cathy Newman, asserting: "Yes, very weak. For goodness sake, they can replace Gregg Wallace. They can replace anybody. So they should be tough with their presenters. They should be very clear about whatever the rules are."
She added: "I do think they've been weak. But I don't want to say that he should be sacked because I don't know what the crime is," reports the Daily Record.
MasterChef staff members and former contestants, including celebrities such as Emma Kennedy and Kirsty Wark, have claimed Wallace made them feel uncomfortable on set. On Wednesday, Gregg's ghostwriter, Shannon Kyle, made accusations against the star when speaking to Victoria Derbyshire on NewsNight.
Wallace also faces accusations of making lewd requests to a British Sign Language interpreter, asking them to sign phrases like "big boobs" and "sexy bum" during the BBC Good Food Show at the NEC Arena in Birmingham back in 2012.
An attendee recounted an incident to the Guardian, stating: "There was a British Sign Language interpreter there and he wandered over to her at one point and just said: 'Do you have to sign everything I say? ' And she said yes, and then he just started saying, 'big boobs', 'sexy bum' – this sort of thing, in order to get her to sign it. It was like he could control her, I suppose."
Gregg is currently facing allegations from 13 individuals across multiple shows spanning 17 years, as reported by BBC News. Many others have since shared their own experiences. Banijay UK, the production company behind the show, stated that Gregg is "committed to fully cooperating throughout the process" during the BBC's investigation. He has stepped down from his role on the show amid the investigation.
On Sunday morning, Gregg took to social media to dispute the accusations, claiming they came from "middle-class women of a certain age". This prompted Ulrika to comment that his "ignorance and arrogance knows no bounds".
He later issued an apology and announced that he was taking a break from social media.
