Kirstie Allsopp is the latest figure to accuse Gregg Wallace of inappropriate behaviour amid backlash over the Masterchef presenter blaming “middle-class women of a certain age”.
The Masterchef presenter left the BBC programme on Thursday (28 November) after claims were made by 13 people that he made a number of inappropriate sexual comments.
Speaking in a video posted on his Instagram page, the 60-year-old said: “I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age, just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isn’t right.”
Presenter Kirstie Allsopp responded to his remarks by claiming that Wallace made “unprofessional” comments about a sex act when they were filming a pilot for a TV show.
Allsopp said the remarks left her feeling “embarrassed” and added: “That is unacceptable. Because he is essentially saying this is a class issue and middle-class women don’t understand the type of things he says because he’s working-class. Well I’m sorry, but he’s doing a incredible disservice to men.”
The Independent has contacted Wallace’s representatives for comment. A BBC spokesperson said “any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated”.
Key points
- Wallace says accusations come from ‘middle-class women of a certain age’
- Kirstie Allsopp claims Masterchef host made ‘unprofessional’ comments
- ‘We are all different’: Wallace shares new cryptic Instagram post
- Penny Lancaster breaks silence on accusations
- What allegations are Wallace facing?
Comedians and journalists respond to Wallace’s ‘middle-class women of a certain age’ claims
16:20
Athena Stavrou
A number of public figures have taken to social media today in the wake of Gregg Wallace’s claims that all of those who had made complaints against him were “‘middle-class women of a certain age”.
Radio presenter Julie Hartley-Brewer posted a meme accompanied by: “Spare a thought for Gregg Wallace’s PR agent waking up this morning,”
Meanwhile, comedian David Baddiel wrote: “It’s not often that the internet gets behind middle-class middle-aged women these days, but thanks to Gregg Wallace for making it happen.”
It's not often that the internet gets behind middle-class middle-aged women these days, but thanks to Gregg Wallace for making it happen.
— David Baddiel (@Baddiel) December 1, 2024
Kirstie Allsopp slams Wallace’s claim all complainants are ‘middle-class women of a certain age'
16:14
Athena Stavrou
Kirstie Allsopp said she was angered by a video the 60-year-old MasterChef presenter posted on Instagram, in which he claimed the complaints against him were coming from a “handful of middle-class women of a certain age”.
The Location, Location, Location presenter added: “That is unacceptable. Because he is essentially saying this is a class issue and middle-class women don’t understand the type of things he says because he’s working-class. Well I’m sorry, but he’s doing a incredible disservice to men.
“What’s he saying? That working-class men do this kind of thing, embarrass their wives and girlfriends and sisters and mothers? That’s unacceptable, of course that’s not the case.
“I absolutely understand about banter. I’m a mother of sons – two stepsons, two sons. But there’s a huge difference between robust chat and the kind of comment Gregg Wallace made to me.”
Kirstie Allsopp ‘so embarrassed’ by Gregg Wallace sex remark
15:50
Athena Stavrou
TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp has said she was “so embarrassed” she thought she “might cry” after Gregg Wallace allegedly made a comment to her about his sex life.
Allsopp, 53, said the encounter took place several years ago in a performers’ lounge while she was filming a pilot for a TV quiz show alongside Wallace and his partner.
She told BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend: “I’d been chatting to her, she left the room and he (Wallace) made a reference to something they did in bed.
“You know that feeling when you’re so embarrassed that you think you might cry. You just feel kind of internally scarlet. I had that feeling and I always remembered it.”
Masterchef producer claims ‘nothing was done’ after complaints made
15:09
Holly Evans
The Sunday Times reported that BBC executive Kate Phillips raised concerns Wallace’s behaviour was “unacceptable and cannot continue”.
The intervention came after broadcaster and former Celebrity MasterChef contestant Aasmah Mir, complained about inappropriate comments during filming.
The newspaper claimed he received another warning the following year after a complaint was raised about his behaviour on the quiz show Impossible Celebrities.
The Sunday Telegraph reported producer Georgia Harding, who worked on MasterChef between 2014 and 2015 and later Eat Well For Less, claimed she raised concerns about “inappropriate” behaviour from him while working on the show.
She alleged the presenter undressed in front of colleagues and “made inappropriate sexual jokes” in front of the crew and people appearing on the shows, and said “nothing was done” about concerns raised, claiming there was “an acceptance” of his behaviour and “nothing was done”.
Harding also said he stood “too close” to contestants on set and “spoke about sex a lot and would get changed on set even though he had a changing room”.
An anonymous woman who appeared on Eat Well For Less also claimed that Wallace stood “too close” to her, made “inappropriate” sexual comments, and said Wallace asked why guests were not laughing at his jokes, and told them they should because he was the “talent”.
Watch: Gregg Wallace denounces Masterchef complaints from ‘middle-class women’
14:38
Holly Evans
Gregg Wallace dropped by autism charity
13:51
Holly Evans
Presenter Gregg Wallace has been dropped from an autism charity in the wake of allegations that he made inappropriate comments to colleagues.
He was announced as an ambassador to Ambitious about Autism after his son Sid, four, was diagnosed with the condition.
On Friday, an Ambitious about Autism spokesperson said: “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.”
Kirstie Allsopp claims Masterchef host made ‘unprofessional’ comments about ‘sex act’ during filming
12:55
Katie Rosseinsky
Kirstie Allsopp has claimed that Gregg Wallace made an “unprofessional” remark about a “sex act” while they were filming a pilot.
In a post shared on Twitter/X, the Location, Location, Location presenter said that the former MasterChef host, who has stepped down from his role on the BBC cooking show while allegations of historical misconduct are investigated, made a lewd comment within one hour of meeting her, and said the remark left her feeling “embarrassed”.
“Within 1hr of meeting Gregg Wallace he told me of a sex act that he & his partner at the time enjoyed “every morning”, she’d just left the room, we were filming a pilot,” she wrote on social media. “Did he get off on how embarrassed I was? It was totally unprofessional, I’m a #MiddleClassWomanOfaCertainAge”
Her post alluded to comments made earlier today by Wallace, who said that accusations against him have come from “middle class women of a certain age”.
Within 1hr of meeting Gregg Walllace he told me of a sex act that he & his partner at the time enjoyed “every morning”, she’d just left the room, we were filming a pilot. Did he get off on how embarrassed I was? It was totally unprofessional, I’m a #MiddleClassWomanOfaCertainAge
— Kirstie Allsopp (@KirstieMAllsopp) December 1, 2024
Wallace’s lawyers said it is “entirely false” that the TV presenter engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
The Independent has contacted representatives for Wallace and Allsopp for further comment.
Will upcoming MasterChef episodes featuring Gregg Wallace air as normal?
12:16
Katie Rosseinsky
Upcoming episodes of MasterChef are expected to air on the BBC as planned after Gregg Wallace stepped down from his role as a host of the cooking show.
Future episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals are still slated to air on the broadcaster, while two Christmas specials are planned for the festive season.
A BBC spokesperson told The Independent: “Right now the plan is, if it’s already been recorded, it will go out.”
John Torode’s brutal Gregg Wallace comments dredged up in wake of allegations against Masterchef co-host
11:52
Katie Rosseinsky
John Torode’s rare comments about Gregg Wallace are being dredged up in the wake of the allegations against his co-host.
On Thursday (28 November), it was revealed that Wallace had stepped down as host of the BBC cookery series amid an investigation into alleged inappropriate comments made across a 17-year period.
Since news broke of the scandal, several stars to have appeared on Celebrity MasterChef, including former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark and Geordie Shore’s Charlotte Crosby, have hit out at the host for alleged remarks they heard when they were filming episodes – and Katy Brand addressed being subjected to a “crass” comment made by the former host.
Speaking about the allegations, Wallace shared a video stating: “I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age, just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isn’t right.”
One person who has remained silent on the subject is Torode, who has hosted MasterChef, and its celebrity spin-off, alongside Wallace since it was revamped in 2005.
In 2017, Torode made headlines after claiming that he had “never been friends” with Wallace.
He said in an interview with The Mirror: “It’s funny, we’ve never been friends. We’ve not been to each other’s houses. If we go away to somewhere like South Africa, we do things separately. If we do go out for a drink, I’ll invariably be at one end of a big old table and he’ll be at the other.”
Inside Gregg Wallace’s rocky love life as he exits MasterChef amid misconduct claims
11:01
Katie Rosseinsky
Gregg Wallace will step away from presenting MasterChef while new complaints made by individuals about historical allegations of misconduct are investigated.
The presenter, 60, known for his colourful on-camera quips was previously accused of making sexually inappropriate comments to a female BBC colleague in 2018, and was forced to quit Inside the Factory over “inappropriate” remarks allegedly made to female staff last year, which he denies.
Wallace, who – among other complaints – has been accused by former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark of making jokes of a “sexualised nature” when she was competing on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011, has previously said he resents any insinuation he was “flirting” with someone who is not his wife Anna, 37.
“I say this for my wife Anna, who I’ve been true to and madly in love with since the day I met her,” he told his Instagram followers in October. “I don’t want anybody to misunderstand this and make it look like I was flirting with somebody. Nobody accused me of that and I never have.”
Wallace met his fourth wife, real name Anne-Marie Sterpini, when she tweeted him a question about rhubarb in 2013. “I just looked at Anna’s photo and thought ‘wow. She’s pretty,” the former greengrocer told Hello! of the encounter.
After a flurry of messages on X/Twitter, Wallace gave Anna his number and they met in London for dinner. The couple got engaged in December 2014 and married at Hever Castle, Kent, with Wallace’s fellow MasterChef judge John Torode as best man. Five years later, they welcomed a baby boy called Sid, who has autism and is non-verbal.
Sid is not Wallace’s only child. The former MasterChef host welcomed Tom, now 29, and Libby, now 26, with his second wife Denise Lovall, whom he married in 1999. Lovall, who died in 2017 after a battle with alcoholism, divorced Wallace in 2004 having discovered he allegedly had an affair with one of his employees.
Wallace also met his third wife, Heidi Brown, on X/Twitter in 2009.
Sean Lock’s damning Gregg Wallace verdict resurfaces after allegations against MasterChef host
10:11
Katie Rosseinsky
Sean Lock’s brutal assessment of Gregg Wallace has resurfaced after the MasterChef host’s allegations of inappropriate remarks.
On Thursday (28 November), it was revealed that Wallace had stepped down as host of the BBC cookery series amid an investigation into alleged inappropriate comments made across a 17-year period.
Former Celebrity MasterChef contestants, including former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark and Geordie Shore’s Charlotte Crosby, have since hit out at the host for alleged remarks they heard when they were filming episodes.
Now, a video of Lock, who died in 2021 at the age of 58, discussing Wallace is doing the rounds on social media in the wake of the news.
Lock, who was known for sharing his razor sharp critiques on many subjects spoke about Wallace during a segment on Channel 4 panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown that saw him tasked with choosing which celebrities should be deemed “national treasures”.
The comic went on to claim that he liked Wallace “because he’s got no sense of irony or humour”.
From troubled childhood to troubling reputation, this TV stalwart is facing self-destruction
09:42
Katie Rosseinsky
“Gregg Wallace was always an unlikely TV star,” writes The Independent’s TV critic Nick Hilton. “Prematurely bald, stout, and the proud wearer of thick glasses, he seemed destined for an unglamorous life amid the vegetable stalls of the capital, rather than on TV screens across the country.
“And yet, the presenter, who has stepped back from his role as a judge on MasterChef after a series of historic sexual misconduct allegations came to light, has made himself part of the furniture at the BBC. And that makes his rapid fall from grace even more troubling for the corporation, though Wallace’s lawyers say it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.”
Read Nick Hilton’s full analysis here:
The greengrocer-turned-presenter is stepping back from ‘MasterChef’ while allegations of historical misconduct are investigated. Nick Hilton looks back on his career as an unlikely TV star, which followed a tough start in life
Full letter to BBC allegedly sent in 2022 about inappropriate behaviour
08:43
Holly Evans
In the latest allegations, Wallace was accused of making lewd comments and asking for the personal phone numbers of female production staff in a letter a producer and director claimed to have sent to the BBC in 2022.
The letter, posted to Instagram by Dawn Elrick on her Shit Men In TV Have Said To Me account, collected a number of anonymous reports from people who alleged they “have experienced sexism and sexual harassment within the TV industry”.
In the letter Elrick claimed to have sent to the BBC in 2022, she wrote: “I have noticed a pattern of behaviour from one person whose name has been mentioned half a dozen times.
“In connection with lude (sic) comments being made to female production members, female production being made to feel uncomfortable about being asked for their personal numbers, being made to talk to the talent whilst the talent is topless and general unease in his company.
“Gregg Wallace is the name attached to these experiences.
“Additionally, it has been reported to us that these behaviours are not reserved for production staff.”
At the end, the letter claimed the actions “clearly fail to meet” the corporation’s sexual harassment and bullying standards and asked the BBC “what measures will be taken to make sure that this key talent is aware that these behaviours are unacceptable”.
Elrick added: “We do not need to stress how difficult/stressful/upsetting it is for women in production to be placed in a position where high-profile talent use their clout to make deeply uncomfortable remarks.
“Although these are not, as stressed above, not official complaints, it is the number that have come forward about this one person that has prompted this letter.
“We tend to err on the side of believing these stories as there is absolutely no gain to be made from making them up.”
Wallace says accusations come from ‘middle-class women of a certain age’
08:00
Holly Evans
MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has said accusations about him making sexual comments towards staff and guests have come from “middle-class women of a certain age”.
Speaking in a video posted on his Instagram page, the 60-year-old said: “I’ve been doing MasterChef for 20 years, amateur, celebrity and professional MasterChef, and I think, in that time, I have worked with over 4,000 contestants of all different ages, all different backgrounds, all walks of life.
“Apparently now, I’m reading in the paper, there’s been 13 complaints in that time.
“I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age, just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isn’t right.
“In 20 years, over 20 years of television, can you imagine how many women, female contestants on MasterChef, have made sexual remarks, or sexual innuendo? Can you imagine?”
Watch: Ex-BBC chief says stars ‘got away with all sorts’ amid Gregg Wallace probe
07:00
Athena Stavrou
Further accusations made against MasterChef star Gregg Wallace
06:00
Athena Stavrou
Further accusations have been made against TV presenter Gregg Wallace in the wake of him stepping away from hosting hit BBC show MasterChef while a review into complaints is carried out.
On Thursday, the cooking programme’s production company Banijay UK said the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to “historical allegations of misconduct” while working with Wallace.
He is “committed to fully co-operating throughout the process”, the company also said.
There were reports on Friday evening in news outlets such as The Sun newspaper about other alleged behaviour by Wallace.
Banijay UK confirmed on Saturday it had appointed law firm Lewis Silkin to lead an investigation into Wallace’s alleged behaviour.
‘We are all different’: Wallace shares cryptic Instagram post
04:30
Athena Stavrou
Gregg Wallace has shared another cryptic Instagram post in the wake of allegations against himself.
The former Masterchef host took to social media to share a picture of what appeared to be grey stone with simple message: “We are all different.”
Earlier, he shared an Instagram story of a gingerbread man, with the caption: “Enjoy your weekend.”
What allegations are Wallace facing?
03:00
Athena Stavrou
Wallace has stepped down from MasterChef amid allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people who worked with him across a range of shows over a 17-year period.
Among those alleging misconduct is former Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, who claimed Mr Wallace told “sexualised” jokes during filming of a Celebrity MasterChef episode in 2011.
“There were two occasions in particular where he used sexualised language in front of a number of people and it wasn’t as if anyone engaged with this,” she said.
Wallace allegedly also talked openly about his sex life and once told a junior female colleague he wasn’t wearing any underwear under his jeans, according to the BBC News investigation.
The Independent has contacted Wallace’s representatives for comment. A BBC spokesperson said “any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated”.
Watch: Gregg Wallace makes ‘crass’ innuendo to Katy Brand on Celebrity MasterChef
02:00
Athena Stavrou
From troubled childhood to troubling reputation, this TV stalwart is facing self-destruction
01:00
Athena Stavrou
Gregg Wallace was always an unlikely TV star. Prematurely bald, stout, and the proud wearer of thick glasses, he seemed destined for an unglamorous life amid the vegetable stalls of the capital, rather than on TV screens across the country.
And yet, the presenter, who today has stepped back from his role as a judge on MasterChef after a series of historic sexual misconduct allegations came to light, has made himself part of the furniture at the BBC.
And that makes his rapid fall from grace even more troubling for the corporation, though Wallace’s lawyers say it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
Read the full analysis from Nick Hilton here:
Who is celebrity chef Gregg Wallace?
Saturday 30 November 2024 23:27
Athena Stavrou
Mr Wallace, 60, 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 the original presenter of the BBC show Saturday Kitchen in 2002 and has also featured on Eat Well For Less, Inside The Factory, Turn Back Time, Harvest, and Supermarket Secrets.
He was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2022 for his services to food and charity. Mr Wallace took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2014 and was partnered with Aliona Vilani.
He has two children, Tom and Libby, from a former relationship. He married Anne-Marie Sterpini in 2016 and the couple have a son called Sid.
Gregg Wallace dropped by autism charity
Saturday 30 November 2024 21:01
Athena Stavrou
Presenter Gregg Wallace has been dropped from an autism charity in the wake of allegations that he made inappropriate comments to colleagues.
He was announced as an ambassador to Ambitious about Autism after his son Sid, four, was diagnosed with the condition.
An Ambitious about Autism spokesperson said: “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.”
Gregg Wallace and Kirsty Wark clash in MasterChef kitchen in resurfaced clip
Saturday 30 November 2024 20:05
Athena Stavrou
Gregg Wallace and former BBC Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark clash in the MasterChef kitchen in a resurfaced clip.
The scenes, from Celebrity MasterChef in 2011, have resurfaced after Ms Wark claimed Mr Wallace told “sexualised” jokes during filming for the show.
Letter sent to BBC about Gregg Wallace’s behaviour in 2022, reports claim
Saturday 30 November 2024 19:19
Athena Stavrou
A letter outlining allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Gregg Wallace was sent to the BBC two years ago, reports have claimed.
The letter, which was seen by the Observer, contained claims from several women including complaints of sexualised comments, but did not prompt any further investigation at the time.
The Guardian reported that it was sent by director and producer Dawn Elrick in 2022, on behalf of other women who contacted her. She said she was told each complainant would have to contact the broadcasters individually.
“This is very tricky for freelancers to do without identifying themselves, which makes life extremely tricky in the freelance world,” she told the paper. “Placing the onus on individual employees/freelancers means they failed to see that I was trying to tell them there was a pattern of alleged behaviour.”
A BBC spokesperson told the Observer: “If issues are raised with us we have robust processes in place to deal with them swiftly and appropriately. We will always listen if people want to make us aware of something directly.
“It would be inappropriate for us to comment on anything that could form part of Banijay’s ongoing investigation or otherwise influence it.”
‘We are all different’: Wallace shares cryptic Instagram post
Saturday 30 November 2024 18:45
Athena Stavrou
Gregg Wallace has shared another cryptic Instagram post in the wake of allegations against himself.
The former Masterchef host took to social media to share a picture of what appeared to be grey stone with simple message: “We are all different.”
Former BBC producer says industry culture shift needed amid Gregg Wallace claims
Saturday 30 November 2024 18:03
Naomi Clarke
A former senior BBC TV producer has said the media industry needs to create a culture where “everybody says it’s just not acceptable to make people feel uncomfortable” after a host of allegations have been made against TV presenter Gregg Wallace.
Lorraine Heggessey, the first female controller of BBC One, told BBC Breakfast: “This is the latest in a long line of presenters behaving badly and making particularly junior staff on a production feel really uncomfortable about what they’re saying or doing, and we need to, as an industry, draw a line.
“It’s not just a BBC problem, I think it’s an industry-wide problem.”
Inside Gregg Wallace’s rocky love life with four wives as he exits MasterChef amid misconduct claims
Saturday 30 November 2024 16:59
Greg Evans
Wallace, who – among other complaints – has been accused by former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark of making jokes of a “sexualised nature” when she was competing on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011, has previously said he resents any insinuation he was “flirting” with someone who is not his wife Anna, 37.
“I say this for my wife Anna, who I’ve been true to and madly in love with since the day I met her,” he told his Instagram followers in October. “I don’t want anybody to misunderstand this and make it look like I was flirting with somebody. Nobody accused me of that and I never have.”
Wallace met his fourth wife, real name Anne-Marie Sterpini, when she tweeted him a question about rhubarb in 2013. “I just looked at Anna’s photo and thought ‘wow. She’s pretty,” the former greengrocer told Hello! of the encounter.
Further accusations made against MasterChef star Gregg Wallace
Saturday 30 November 2024 16:00
Charlotte McLaughlin
Further accusations have been made against TV presenter Gregg Wallace in the wake of him stepping away from hosting hit BBC show MasterChef while a review into complaints is carried out.
On Thursday, the cooking programme’s production company Banijay UK said the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to “historical allegations of misconduct” while working with Wallace.
He is “committed to fully co-operating throughout the process”, the company also said.
There were reports on Friday evening in news outlets such as The Sun newspaper about other alleged behaviour by Wallace.
Banijay UK confirmed on Saturday it had appointed law firm Lewis Silkin to lead an investigation into Wallace’s alleged behaviour.
Wallace shares ‘health’ video in fresh Instagram activity
Saturday 30 November 2024 15:36
Greg Evans
Wallace has shared a new post on Instagram amid the allegations against himself. The 60-year-old shared a video, that was originally posted five weeks ago on his “Gregg Wallace Health” account.
In the post, he wrote: “We should all be concerned about our health… but not enough of us are because we’re “too busy” with work, with socialising, with going on holidays. If and when you get sick from years of not looking after yourself, there won’t be any time for any of the things that kept you busy in the first place. Put your health first and give yourself more time to do the things you love.”
Emma Kennedy claims she reported Wallace 12 years ago
Saturday 30 November 2024 15:08
Greg Evans
In a statement, former Celebrity MasterChef winner Emma Kennedy claimed that she made a complaint about Wallace in 2012.
Kennedy claims that she witnessed Wallace use inappropriate conduct towards another woman who was working on the show, reports The Sun.
