Gregg Wallace faces more complaints amid external review

Gregg Wallace has been accused of making “lesbian jokes” and “highly inappropriate” comments in the latest of a string of complaints made against the TV presenter by people who claim to have worked with him.

The new accusations follow Thursday’s announcement that Wallace will step away from hosting hit BBC cooking show MasterChef while historical misconduct complaints are externally reviewed by the show’s production company, Banijay UK.

A woman who worked on Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends in 2019, which aired on Channel 5, has told BBC News he was “fascinated” that she dated women and asked her the “logistics” of how it worked.

The woman, who BBC News has called Anna, also said he reportedly talked about sex, domination and spanking, which she said was “highly inappropriate”.

Another woman who worked on the show, who BBC News has called Amanda, said Wallace allegedly showed her photos of a woman in her underwear while they were travelling in a car together.

She also recalled how he allegedly took off his top and said “let me give you a fashion show” in front of her and a male colleague when trying on outfits in his hotel room after filming had wrapped for the day.

Her colleague then left the room and she told BBC News: “It’s weird to be alone in a room with a topless stranger.”

Another woman, who BBC News has named Georgina, reportedly worked with the TV presenter on BBC’s Eat Well For Less TV show in 2019 and recalled him making comments on how his wife was only two years older than her.

She also told the outlet that after she went to his car to sort his parking ticket, he allegedly replied: “You can come to my car, but can you handle the fact everyone will think you just got off with a celebrity?”

Her colleague, named Lisa by BBC News, also recalled Wallace allegedly leaving a bathroom topless in front of them during a shoot and asking them to take his coffee order.

She told BBC News 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.”

On Thursday, BBC News reported the 60-year-old faces allegations from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, including former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark.

The TV star’s lawyers say “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”, BBC News reported.

Actress Katy Brand also addressed the “awkward” moment Wallace told her he would “munch the living daylights out of your little tart” when she competed in Celebrity MasterChef in 2013.

After a video of the comment began recirculating online, she wrote on Instagram on Friday: “I took it as an innuendo-laden remark at the time, and I still see it that way now.

“My reaction on camera was one of shock and disbelief at such a crass and idiotic joke.”

She clarified she was not among those who have made an official complaint about Wallace, but applauded those who have.

Sir Rod Stewart took to Instagram following the accusations on Thursday, accusing Wallace of “humiliating” his wife Penny Lancaster on Celebrity MasterChef in 2021.

The veteran singer described the TV presenter as a “ill-mannered bully”, signing the statement off: “Karma got ya. Sir Rod Stewart”.

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.”

Model Ulrika Jonsson told The Telegraph that when she competed on Celebrity MasterChef in 2017, Wallace allegedly had to apologise after making a “rape joke”, which caused another female contestant to become “really distressed”.

Jonsson did not hear the joke but said that when another contestant walked off the set, she was told what had occurred.

The Swedish-born TV personality also posted a photo of her MasterChef apron to her Instagram story, writing: “Hopefully it will all come out in the wash” and another statement saying: “Plenty of crew on set who would not dare to speak up for fear of losing their jobs.”

A Downing Street spokesman said the allegations about Wallace were “deeply concerning” and that it was “right that a thorough investigation is conducted” in a statement on Friday.

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.”

The Telegraph’s restaurant critic William Sitwell said he was “astonished” at the allegations being made against Wallace in a comment piece in the newspaper.

He wrote: “Interesting, funny, exhausting and outrageous, is the Gregg I know. I gather his colleagues at MasterChef and the production company are as astonished as I am about the news.

“And I’m sure we all hope this force of nature will be back on set sooner than you can say, as his catchphrase goes, ‘buttery biscuit base’.”

A statement from Banijay UK on Thursday said the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to “historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows”.

The production company said while the allegations were not raised with Banijay UK or their show producers, they would still be conducting an “immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate”.

It added that Wallace would be “stepping away” from his hosting duties on MasterChef while the review is conducted and that the presenter is “committed to fully co-operating throughout the process”.

A BBC spokesman said it takes any issues raised with them “seriously” and “any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated”.

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.”

The charity Ambitious About Autism dropped him as an ambassador after the complaints.

An Ambitious About Autism spokeswoman said in a statement: “In light of recent allegations, we are no longer working with Gregg Wallace.

“We have let him know our decision and thanked him for his support of our work over the last two years.”

The presenter has two children, Tom and Libby, from a previous relationship as well as a non-verbal and autistic son called Sid, whom he welcomed with his fourth wife Anne-Marie Sterpini in 2019.

Wallace is best known for co-presenting MasterChef alongside John Torode since 2005, as well as its spin-offs Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals.

He was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2022 for his services to food and charity.