MasterChef's Gregg Wallace is reportedly facing concerns from his co-star over his behaviour. The star, who has temporarily stepped back from hosting the BBC cooking show, is under external review for historical allegations of misconduct. The 60-year-old also faces new harassment claims, including inappropriate touching at an event and making unwanted physical contact while filming another show. His legal team has firmly denied these allegations, stating it is "entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature".
However, John Torode, who co-hosted MasterChef with Gregg, expressed shock at the possibility that people may have had distressing experiences. Sources now suggest that John voiced his worries about Gregg's alleged behaviour to Banijay UK, the producers of the BBC One programme.
Despite this, John is uncertain if there was ever a formal record as he didn't lodge an official complaint. A source told The Sun: "John is not stupid - of course, he was aware of some of Gregg's less savoury behaviour. He did not condone it, and nor did he engage with it." They added: "He repeatedly flagged his behaviour and poor-taste remarks to execs on set and made clear he wasn't happy. It was never a formal complaint, rather a series of spoken concerns raised."
"He does not know whether any formal record was ever made but the sense he got was that bosses needed to protect the MasterChef brand at all costs and that meant turning a blind eye," reports the Mirror.
The source claims that John and his wife Lisa Faulkner are "mortified" by the fallout from the show and are thinking of bringing in a PR guru to deal with the scandal. It's been said that past MasterChef contestants and stars, including Emma Kennedy and Kirsty Wark, felt uneasy around Gregg Wallace on set.
Recently, Shannon Kyle, Gregg's ghostwriter, aired grievances about him while talking to Victoria Derbyshire on Newsnight. He's faced criticism for inappropriate comments, including an instance at the BBC Good Food Show, when a witness alleged Gregg asked a sign language interpreter to translate lewd remarks like "big boobs" and "sexy bum" during a Birmingham event in 2012.
"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," revealed the attendee to the Guardian.
Gregg is facing accusations from 13 individuals spanning over a period of 17 years with many more coming forward to share their experiences. The presenter is "committed to fully cooperating throughout the process" during the BBC's investigation, according to a statement from Banijay UK, the show's production company.
Amidst the ongoing investigation, he has also stepped down from his role on the show. On Sunday morning, Gregg took to social media to dispute the allegations, stating they were from "middle-class women of a certain age", leading Ulrika Jonsson to comment that his "ignorance and arrogance knows no bounds."
He later issued a heartfelt apology and announced he would be taking a break from social media. OK! has reached out to representatives for John and Gregg for further comments.
