Gregg Wallace has been accused of making “lesbian jokes” and “highly inappropriate” comments in the latest of a series of complaints made against the TV presenter by people who previously worked with him.
More than a dozen people, including former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark, have made accusations about the Masterchef star.
Wallace, 60, is stepping away from the hit BBC cooking show while historical misconduct complaints are externally reviewed by the show’s production company, Banijay UK, it was announced on Thursday.
Lawyers for the presenter say “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”, BBC News reported.
The presenter is “committed to fully co-operating throughout the process”, according to a statement from the show’s production company Banijay UK.
Allegations of making jokes of a ‘sexualised nature’
Wark told the BBC that on two occasions during her time competing on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011 Wallace relayed stories and jokes of a “sexualised nature” in front of contestants and crew and that she felt they were “really, really in the wrong place”.
A woman, who worked on the BBC’s Eat Well For Less TV show with Wallace in 2019 and who the BBC have called Georgina, said he would constantly make inappropriate remarks to her, including commenting that his wife was only two years older than her.
She also told the outlet that after he went to his car to sort his parking ticket, he allegedly said: “You can come to my car, but can you handle the fact everyone will think you just got off with a celebrity?”
Wallace also reportedly asked a British Sign Langauge interpreter to translate a number of terms of a sexual nature, including “big boobs” and “sexy bum”, in front of a live audience of around 400 people at a BBC Good Food event.
A woman attending the show at Birmingham’s NEC Arena in 2012 told The Guardian she was “appalled and aghast” at “sexist” behaviour.
Accusations of ‘highly inappropriate’ comments about spanking
A woman who worked on Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends in 2019, which aired on Channel 5, and who BBC News has called Anna, told the outlet he was “fascinated” that she dated women and asked her the “logistics” of how it worked.
Anna claimed Wallace constantly made comments about her sexual orientation, including when he met her partner, and asked her if she was “sure” she didn’t want to date men.
She also said he reportedly talked about sex, domination and spanking, which she said was “highly inappropriate”.
A male colleague who also worked on Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends and other travel shows between 2019 and 2022 told BBC News Wallace spoke about threesomes with prostitutes and said he “loves spanking” multiple times a day.
Allegations Wallace spoke about ‘sex life’ on MasterChef
A female MasterChef worker told the BBC Wallace spoke about his sex life and asked her if her new boyfriend at the time had a nice bottom.
Claims of ‘unacceptable behaviour’ towards women
Wallace was accused of inappropriate sexual behaviour, with one woman telling the BBC he had touched her bottom and another saying he had pressed his crotch against her during the production of a television series.
One of the women said Wallace told her, “Oh you liked that didn’t you”, after he had “touched [her] bum with his waist”.
Another woman named as Lisa by BBC News recalled Wallace allegedly leaving a bathroom topless in front of them during a shoot and asking them to take his coffee order.
She said that his “behaviour isn’t acceptable”, adding: “To not only continue to put women in these scenarios but to continue publicly platforming him is a disgrace to our industry standards.”
A separate woman said while filming Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends in 2019, he took out his phone to show her pictures of a woman in underwear as they were in a car together. She also claimed when she took him back to his hotel room after filming finished in Italy, he started showing her and a male colleague who was present his outfits for the next day.
She alleges he took off his top and said “let me give you a fashion show” and remained topless after the male colleague left the room.
Other accusations reported by the BBC include Wallace telling a junior female colleague he was not wearing any boxer shorts underneath his jeans and staring at another female worker’s chest on the BBC Good Food Show in 2010.
A male colleague who worked on MasterChef between 2005 and 2006 alleged to the BBC that Wallace also regularly made sexually explicit comments on set, stating a dish once “tasted like his aunt’s vagina”.
Alleged humiliating and bullying of Celebrity MasterChef contestant
Sir Rod Stewart accused Wallace of being a bully after news of his departure from MasterChef broke.
In an Instagram post, Sir Rod claimed Wallace had humiliated his wife Penny Lancaster during her time on Celebrity MasterChef in 2021.
The singer wrote: “So Greg Wallace gets fired from MasterChef.
“Good riddance Wallace… You humiliated my wife when she was on the show, but you had that bit cut out didn’t you?
“You’re a tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully. Karma got ya.”
Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby, who appeared on Celebrity MasterChef this year, commented on Sir Rod’s post writing: “He was extremely unpleasant to me when I was on MasterChef.”
‘Rape joke’ accusation
TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson, who was also a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef, has claimed Wallace was forced to apologise after making a “rape joke” during the filming of an episode of the programme.
According to The Telegraph, Jonsson said another female contestant became “really distressed” after Wallace allegedly made the remark.
She said the incident was reported to a producer on the show and after Wallace was spoken to about it he apologised with “tears in his eyes”. She said the other contestant “accepted his apology”.
Allegations of ‘sexual harassment’ and ‘racist’ impersonation of accents
Former MasterChef contestant Dr Kate Tomas, who competed on the show in 2008, said Wallace “sexually harassed” and “bullied” her.
Dr Kate, a philosopher and influencer who previously dated Andrew Garfield, said she was “traumatised and re-triggered” when she found out that Wallace was being investigated over historical allegations of misconduct.
She also described Wallace as “disgusting and repulsive” and a “racist piece of s**t” after impersonating an Indian accent in front of an Indian cameraman on MasterChef.
Dr Kate, who was married to an Indian man at the time, said she was also “bullied” by Wallace for wearing sindoor, a red dye applied to the hair parting traditionally used by Indian women to signify married status.
MasterChef invited her back on the show after being eliminated, Dr Kate said, but she “refused to go back because of him” and complained about Wallace’s conduct.
“Nothing was said, nothing was done, but he was disgusting and repulsive, and anybody that knows me will know my deep, deep f***ing hatred for this man,” she said in a post on TikTok.
BBC Review
A BBC review in October found that Wallace could continue working at the corporation after reports emerged of an alleged incident in 2018 when he appeared on Impossible Celebrities, according to The Sun newspaper.
Responding to the allegations, Wallace said he did not say “anything sexual” while appearing on the game show.
Statements
A BBC spokesperson added: “We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them.
“We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
“Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them.”
The statement from Banijay UK says: “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.”
A spokesperson for Channel 5, which broadcasts Big Weekends, also stated they take “any allegations of this nature extremely seriously” and have asked the show’s production company Rumpus Media to look into the claims.
Rumpus Media added: “We do not tolerate inappropriate behaviour on our productions. Our comprehensive duty of care processes were in place during production of these series and any matters raised would have been investigated in accordance with these.”
Wallace’s response
Wallace thanked his followers in an Instagram video on Thursday, saying: “I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reaching out and showing their support.
“It’s good of you, thank you very much.”
i has contacted Wallace’s representatives for further comment.
