John Torode fears Gregg Wallace scandal ‘could replicate badly on him’ as ex-Celebrity MasterChef contestant reveals pair ‘did not have a connection’ and went to ‘separate ends of the room’ off digital camera

Gregg Wallace and John Torode have been inseparable on screen for almost 20 years.

Together the chef and the former greengrocer have recorded thousands of hours of MasterChef for the BBC since 2005 – and have been a popular duo with viewers.

However Mr Torode, never short of a comment on screen, has maintained a deafening silence on his TV partner’s departure from the show under a lewd cloud yesterday.

His wife Lisa Faulkner did hint all was not well earlier this year, telling a book festival how Gregg ‘ told rude joke after rude joke to the crew ‘ when she won in 2010 as her husband John sat awkwardly on stage next to her. 

And one source told MailOnline that John may fear that the current furore about Wallace, who stepped away yesterday, may reflect badly on him.

According to sources close to stars who have appeared on Celebrity MasterChef, Torode has form for ‘naughty’ humour, although there is no suggestion of inappropriate behaviour akin to the claims against Wallace. One contestant today described him as ‘absolutely lovely’.

The source told MailOnline: ‘Wallace is very out-there with his humour, he’s a bloke from a bygone era. It’s no great surprise what’s happened to him’.

Just last month he was in hot water when he cracked a gag about giving a ‘little sausage’ to Cat Deeley as he cooked toad in the hole live on ITV ‘s This Morning. Deeley, 47, tapped him on the back and replied: ‘Oh I like it, thank you,’ before she turned to make a face at the camera.

Today a contestant on the celebrity version of the show claimed John and Gregg have ‘no connection’ off screen – in fact she said that they stand at opposite ends of the studio between takes. 

They are ‘very, very different people’ with no real ‘connection’, Aggie Mackenzie said. 

‘They behave very differently. And I observed that when the cameras were off, they would go to separate ends of the room. They didn’t really communicate or have a connection off screen’.

Comparing Wallace to the Carry On star Sid James, famous for his saucy comments and sexual innuendo, Aggie claimed Wallace made ‘stupid, unfunny jokes that people kind of had to tolerate.’

She said: ‘He used to fill all the time with these stupid, unfunny jokes that people kind of had to tolerate.

‘It’s as if he’s never really grown up or been properly supervised and told to kind of watch what he’s saying.

She also said ‘he’d be very well aware of his power…knowing that he can swagger around and do as he liked’:

‘It’s always, you know, the most junior of members have the least power and the smallest voices and they’ve got most to lose. So, you know, if you want to hang on to your job and make your way in telly, you’re not going to stick your head above the parapet, are you?

‘And so, yeah, somebody in his position, he’d be very well aware of his power, possibly in an unconscious way, but knowing that he can, you know, swagger around and do as he liked’.

MailOnline has contacted Torode’s reps for comment.

Gregg Wallace cried after being reprimanded for making a ‘rape joke’ that left a MasterChef contestant ‘really distressed’ and forced another off set, Ulrika Jonsson has claimed, as a slew of stars accused him of being obsessed with sex and ‘weird’ on set.

Wallace stepped down from the show yesterday amid allegations he made ‘sexual comments to 13 colleagues’ and was even accused of wandering around naked with his penis in a sock.

Ulrika Jonsson, who appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in 2017, today claimed a female contestant was hugely upset by Wallace’s ‘rape joke’ which caused another person to storm off set and complain to their bosses.

‘They then went off to speak to Gregg. After a while he came up…and he apologised. He could hardly get his words out. He was apologising, and he had tears in his eyes’, she said.

But she added: ‘The apology should have been to everyone. It felt like, you know, ‘don’t make the joke in the first place’ and said she ‘definitely’ felt uncomfortable on set following his joke.

Sir Rod Stewart called him a ‘tubby bully’ last night and accused him of ‘humiliating’ his wife Penny Lancaster on the show, where he criticised her tartare sauce and timekeeping. Charlotte Crosby , who was on Celebrity MasterChef this year, said he had been ‘extremely unpleasant’ to be around.

Through his lawyers, the grocer turned broadcaster has insisted that it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.

But a slew of celebrities, MasterChef staff and crew on his other shows have come forward, accusing him of being like a Carry On film character making ‘lesbian jokes’, asking a gay woman if she was ‘sure’ she didn’t want to date men and other ‘highly inappropriate’ comments on set. Another woman was apparently asked if she put her finger up her partner’s anus.

One refused to work with him again, accusing him of asking her to sort his parking tickets and making suggestive jokes about them ‘getting off’ in his car and her being close in age to his wife.

Another MasterChef production worker claimed today Gregg would joke about threesomes with prostitutes and how he ‘loves spanking’. There were also ‘disgusting sex-related’ gags, including one too rude to publish about an ‘aunt’ and her genitals while tasting a contestant’s dish.

Through his lawyers, the grocer turned broadcaster has insisted that it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.

Ulrika is the latest star to speak out about Wallace, who has been complained about by 13 people about his conduct while working with him over a 17-year period across five shows, from 2005 to 2022.

Celebrity whistleblowers include:

• Aggie Mackenzie said Gregg ‘behaved like a sort of Sid James character’ who made ‘stupid, unfunny jokes that people kind of had to tolerate’;
• Charlotte Crosby branded him ‘extremely unpleasant’;
• Kirsty Wark accused him of ‘wrong’ and inappropriate ‘sexualised’ behaviour during filming;
• Aasmah Mir, also a MasterChef contestant, shared cryptic tweet after Wallace left the show yesterday;
• Footage of him telling Katy Brand: ‘I’ll munch the living daylights out of your little tart’ emerges;
• Sir Rod Stewart says he bullied Penny Lancaster, who was criticised by Gregg for her tartare sauce and timings; Penny is expected to help the BBC inquiry;

And production staff claimed: 

• Star allegedly joked about threesomes with prostitutes and ‘spanking’; 
• Male colleague claims Gregg made a foul joke about food tasting like an aunt’s intimate areas; 
• A female runner claims he asked her if she ever put her finger up her boyfriend’s bottom; 
• A woman refused to work with him again after her experience on BBC’s Eat Well For Less TV show after he allegedly asked her to sort his parking tickets. He allegedly said she was only just younger than his wife and: ‘You can come to my car, but can you handle the fact everyone will think you just got off with a celebrity?’ 
• She and a colleague also said he left a bathroom with no top on to ask them to get him coffee; 
• Woman who worked on Channel 5’s Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends in 2019 said he took out his phone and showed her photos of a woman in her underwear. 
• She also claims she took him back to his hotel room to show him his on-screen outfits and so took off his top and allegedly said ‘let me give you a fashion show’;
• Wallace allegedly wandered into the MasterChef studio ‘completely naked’ apart from a ‘sock pulled over his penis’ before throwing himself into a ‘silly dance’; 
• Witness claims he allegedly mimicked a sex act while a crew member was on her knees; 
• He allegedly joked about going commando under his jeans at work;

Wallace allegedly regularly spoke about sex, spanking and domination when he worked on Big Weekends in 2019. 

He is also accused of constantly making ‘lesbian jokes’ when he worked on the travel show after becoming ‘fascinated’ with a female co-worker’s love life when he found out she dated women. 

The moment he refused to eat Penny Lancaster‘s tartare sauce – blasting her for using ‘whole eggs instead of egg yolks’ – re-emerged today after her husband Sir Rod Steward branded him a ‘tubby bully’ who ‘humiliated’ his wife.

Gregg also chastised Penny, 53, for being late serving her food to critics in the quarter finals, leaving her in tears when she appeared on the show in 2021.

Sir Rod said last night: ‘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’. 

It comes as Wallace 60, stepped away from MasterChef amid accusations of ‘sexualised’ behaviour during filming of the hit BBC show. 

On one occasion he allegedly told a junior female colleague he wasn’t wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans, is accused of wandering into the studio naked apart from a sock on his penis and mimicking a sex act on a producer when she knelt down to clean his trousers.

In the resurfaced clip, Penny was humiliated when her fried calamari and homemade tartare sauce went awry, with the judges refusing to taste what was brandied a ‘raw egg/oil milkshake’.

When initially tasked with making her own tartare sauce the former Loose Woman star seemed to believe she was getting off to a promising start, beaming with confidence.  She quipped to the camera: ‘I’m doing surprisingly well compared to what I imagined how I’d be doing. I don’t want to slip up now.’

But the 53-year-old spoke too soon as her sauce quickly went wrong as John delivered the devastating blow of declaring the sauce inedible.

When she served, Penny said: ‘That tartare sauce doesn’t look like the tartare sauce I’d normally have’, as Gregg informed her: ‘You used whole eggs instead of egg yolks’. 

‘What I’ve got in here is a raw egg/oil milkshake. Unfortunately, I can’t eat that,’ co-judge John Torode added.

However all wasn’t lost for Penny as she received compliments on her calamari from the duo and later wowed the hosts with her chicken and coconut curry, green papaya chutney, grated apple, turnip and carrot salad as well as the coconut rice. 

Gregg showered her with praise at the time branding her ‘a stand out cook’, adding: ‘I found myself going from bowl to bowl to bowl and finding it difficult to stop, you have had what we call in the industry and very good day.’

However another clip showed a tense moment between Penny and Gregg as chaos ensued in the kitchen.

In the episode where the model was later eliminated, Gregg told Penny: ‘Mate, we can’t be 10 minutes late,’ calling her delay ‘serious’.

Penny admitted she was so emotional: ‘Everything piled on top of me. I just hope the wait was worth it,’ she said.

But unfortunately she was knocked out of the show.

Post-results, a choked Penny said: ‘It would’ve been incredible to get through to the semi finals but it wasn’t meant to be. Absolutely no regrets whatsoever. I’ve always loved to eat food, never loved to cook – and now I love both.’ 

The recently resurfaced clip comes as  Sir Rod Stewart issued a furious rant at Gregg Wallace branding him a him a ‘tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully’ for ‘humiliating’ his wife when she appeared on the show in 2021. 

Following Gregg’s departure, Rod wrote: ‘So Greg [sic] Wallace gets fired from Master Chef.

‘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’.

The BBC has since revealed that 13 people, including Kirsty Wark, have complained about his conduct while working with him over a 17-year period across five shows, from 2005 to 2022. 

Ms Walk alleges that Wallace told stories and jokes of a ‘sexualised nature’ in front of contestants and crew while filming Celebrity MasterChef in 2011 on two occasions, adding that his gags and comments were ‘really, really in the wrong place’. 

The BBC and Banijay declined to comment. 

Following Penny’s eviction from the kitchen in 2021, she shared a cryptic post on Instagram hinting at ‘a person’s behaviour’.

She wrote on Instagram: ‘When you finally learn that a person’s behaviour has more to do with their own struggle than it ever did with you, you learn grace’.

On Thursday, Scottish broadcaster Aasmah Mir shared a picture of herself during the 2017 Celebrity MasterChef series – also with a cryptic message. 

It read: ‘Always keep your receipts’. It is not yet known if she has also complained.

The BBC claims that Gregg walked away from MasterChef today after BBC News sent a letter to his agent on Tuesday, setting out allegations from 13 people and giving him a right of reply.

They say he was warned after a complaint was raised in 2018, but new historical claims emerged over the summer of 2024.

Gregg is ‘committed to fully cooperating throughout the process’, the show’s production company Banijay UK said.

Gregg will be on BBC One as usual on Thursday night because MasterChef: The Professionals, which is already recorded, will transmit as planned and into December. MasterChef’s Christmas specials will also still be broadcast.      

The chef has since thanked people for their support following accusations he mimicked a sex act and wandered into the MasterChef studio ‘completely naked’ apart from a ‘sock covering his penis’. 

Now in a video posted on Instagram tonight, he said: ‘I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reach out and showing their support.

‘That’s good of you, thank you very much.’

Wallace allegedly wandered into the MasterChef studio ‘completely naked’ apart from a ‘sock pulled over his penis’ before throwing himself into a ‘silly dance’, a report last night claimed.

Wallace, 60, is also accused mimicking a sex act in front of a member of the show’s production staff who was kneeling down to clean his trousers during filming, according to the lurid and so-far unsubstantiated allegations.

The Daily Telegraph says it has spoken to a witness who claims to have seen both these alleged incidents. Gregg was also ‘very touchy feely’, the newspaper quotes the witness as saying.

MailOnline has asked Mr Wallace to comment on the claims, which if proven would likely end the BBC career of one its biggest names in yet another sex-related crisis to grip the corporation. 

Today the star stepped away from MasterChef after 13 people including Newsnight host Kirsty Wark accused him of ‘wrong’ and inappropriate ‘sexualised’ behaviour during filming. 

Ms Walk claims that on two occasions Wallace told stories and jokes of a ‘sexualised nature’ in front of contestants and crew while filming Celebrity MasterChef in 2011. She said his gags and comments were ‘really, really in the wrong place’.

‘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. It was completely one-way traffic. But I think people were uncomfortable and something that I really did not expect to happen’, she said. 

Scottish broadcaster Aasmah Mir shared a picture of herself during the 2017 Celebrity MasterChef series with the cryptic message: ‘Always keep your receipts’. It is not yet known if she has also complained.

Wallace has been accused of taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to ‘give her a fashion show’ and talking about his sex life to others.

On one occasion he allegedly told a junior female colleague he wasn’t wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans.

The BBC has revealed that 13 people, including Ms Wark, have complained about his conduct while working with him over a 17-year period across five shows, from 2005 to 2022. 

The BBC claims that Wallace walked away from MasterChef after BBC News sent a letter to his agent on Tuesday, setting out allegations from 13 people and giving him a right of reply. They say he was warned after a complaint was raised in 2018, but new historical claims emerged over the summer of 2024.

Wallace, 60, is ‘committed to fully cooperating throughout the process’, the show’s production company Banijay UK said. But he will be on BBC One as usual tonight because MasterChef: The Professionals, which is already recorded, will transmit as planned and into December. MasterChef’s Christmas specials will also still be broadcast.

Mr Wallace is yet to comment today – but at the time of the announcement this afternoon he did take to Instagram to share his recipe for prawn tacos with pineapple salsa. 

But in October Gregg vehemently denied that he had made inappropriate sexual comments towards women, declaring that he would never ‘flirt with’ or ‘hit on’ another woman and saying: ‘I didn’t say anything sexual’.

BBC News said it had been told of other allegations, including the presenter ‘talking openly about his sex life, taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to ‘give her a fashion show’, and telling a junior female colleague he was not wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans’. 

Banijay has not revealed the nature of the allegations, but last month it was claimed the grocer turned TV star had boasted about his sex life to a younger female BBC employee and took his top off in front of her.

In a statement to the PA news agency Banijay UK said: ‘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 cooperating throughout the process.

‘Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.

‘Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.’

The statement added: ‘If anyone would like to talk to us or raise any issues or concerns, then they can contact [email protected] in confidence.’

The BBC has said it takes any issues that are raised with it ‘seriously’.

A BBC spokesperson said: ‘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.’

In October Mr Wallace admitted he was feeling stressed amid allegations he made inappropriate sexual comments towards women – and his fellow judge John Torode’s wife alleged he ‘repeatedly told rude jokes’ on set.

Wallace took to Instagram with a live video as he offered tips on healthy eating while also alluding to new allegations made against him this week.

He told viewers he was ‘a little bit distracted at the moment’, but said he ‘wanted to check in and say hello’.

His social media riposte came as it emerged his MasterChef co-host John Torode‘s wife Lisa Faulkner would think, ‘I don’t want to hear this’, as he apparently delivered punchlines to crew of the BBC‘s flagship cookery show. 

Faulkner, 52, appeared on the series in 2010 where she went on to win the Celebrity MasterChef trophy – and has opened up about her time on the show.

Brookside and Holby City star Faulkner told the Cheltenham Literature Festival how she would overhear the former greengrocer’s jokes as she was prepping her dishes.

She said: ‘Gregg was telling – I’m probably not allowed to say this…Gregg just told rude joke after rude joke to the crew. 

‘You’re just sitting there and if you’re on the front bench just chopping away thinking, ‘I’ve got ten minutes left’, and he’s saying, ‘So this girl walked into a bar…’

‘And I’m going, ‘Please, I don’t want to hear this joke’.’

Her husband John, 59, who was also on stage with her to promote their new book, told her: ‘It’s changed quite a lot really…’

Gregg, 60, absolutely denied claims he boasted about his sex life to a younger female BBC employee and took his top off in front of her while filming a game show – saying he would never ‘flirt with’ or ‘hit on’ another woman.

Bosses at the corporation are said to have hauled the MasterChef co-host into a meeting in 2018 following allegations of ‘inappropriate sexual comments’ and told him to ‘change his behaviour’.

An insider claims Gregg brushed it off as ‘just banter’, having been reported for making ‘consistent inappropriate comments’ to the member of the production team while working on game show Impossible Celebrities.

But taking to Instagram, Wallace hit back at the allegations in an emotional video saying he was ‘madly in love’ with his wife Anna.

He said: ‘The story that’s hitting the newspapers was investigated promptly when it happened six years ago by the BBC.

‘And the outcome of that was that I hadn’t said anything sexual. I’ll need to repeat this again. I didn’t say anything sexual.

‘Despite what the newspapers are suggesting nobody six years ago accused me of flirting with anybody or hitting on anybody.

‘And the reason I say this is because of my wife Anna. I have always been true to my wife Anna and have never flirted or hit on anybody in the 12 years [since] I met her and fell in love with her.

‘And it’s important that, so that people don’t misunderstand that, that I am true to my wife.’

Wallace, who has previously spoken of losing 5st with an exercise regime, told viewers: ‘I’ve had a fair bit of stress over the last few days, but my healthy lifestyle choices have stayed the same because that’s my lifestyle. That’s what I do without thinking’.

‘Does that make sense to people? I really, really hope it does. I’m a little bit distracted at the moment, you can probably tell.’

Wallace went on to say: ‘There are so many benefits of upping your levels of activity, so many healthy benefits.

‘I’m not going to mention the newspapers at the moment – I’ve got that coming at me left, right and centre.’

He also responded to commenters including one who spoke of loving chocolate buttons, with Wallace saying: ‘Chocolate buttons are lovely – right now, that sugar hit, I get it. I understand.’

But he added: ‘I really like a mango. I really like a pineapple. I really like a bowl of blueberries. And fruit isn’t full of sugar and fat. Here’s the saying – love food that loves you back.’

The TV presenter then signed off by saying: ‘I’ve got a really, really busy day – I wanted to check in and say hello.

‘If you want to make a difference to your life, really consider the choices you make.’

The allegations of inappropriate comments have only now emerged amid the BBC this week launching a probe into workplace culture as bosses aim to crack down on the ‘abuse of power‘.

The insider who made the claims against Wallace, which his team says are ‘inaccurate’, raised questions as to why he was allowed to continue presenting MasterChef.

They told The Sun: ‘He is said to have been boasting about his sex life with his partner at the time.

At one point, Wallace was also accused of taking his top off in front of the woman which felt inappropriate. 

The team working on the show were said to have gone to BBC bosses to complain after being left ‘mortified’ by Wallace’s alleged behaviour.

A spokesman for the BBC told The Sun: ‘Whilst we do not comment on individuals, if issues are raised they are dealt with swiftly and appropriately at the time.

‘We do not tolerate any form of inappropriate behaviour and have robust processes in place.’

It was previously reported by The Times back in May last year that he had allegedly offended female staff members at the Nestlé UK factory in York with comments about their weight during a ‘friendly’ conversation.

Wallace then denied that he left the BBC show Inside The Factory in March that year due to inappropriate comments made towards female staff.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain in August 2023, the called the claims ‘inaccurate’.

The newspaper had quoted a source as saying: ‘He was rude towards staff and continued to talk in a derogatory manner, especially to women.’

The comments were reportedly non-sexual but deemed ‘inappropriate’ and a complaint was lodged with Voltage TV, the production company responsible for developing the show.

When asked on GMB by Richard Madeley about his departure from the programme, Wallace responded by saying: ‘There was an argument inside the factory, the reporting isn’t accurate.

‘There was an issue and I thought this is the perfect time to come out.’

‘Offending people? No, no – if you look at the headlines, you can’t see a story that matches those headlines.’

Gregg also revealed that he also wanted to leave to help care for his son Sid, born in 2019, who is autistic.

Explaining his home situation, he said: ‘I’ve got a little boy called Sid who at the moment is non-verbal, he is still in nappies, he’s got learning difficulties. Mum needed help there.’

He revealed that the demanding nature of the filming around the different factories across the country meant that it made sense to give it up.

Wallace added: ‘It’s completely inaccurate, I didn’t challenge it. There was an issue, I don’t want to discuss the issue but it wasn’t what the papers said it was.

‘There was nothing offensive to anybody that’s just people guessing. It was a decent time to come out, I think.’

Wallace wed Anne-Marie Sterpini, 22 years younger than him, at Hever Castle in Kent in August 2016, having met three years earlier.

 

 

 

In October Gregg vehemently denied that he had made inappropriate sexual comments towards women, declaring that he would never ‘flirt with’ or ‘hit on’ another woman and saying: ‘I didn’t say anything sexual’.

Banijay has not revealed the nature of the allegations.

In a statement to the PA news agency Banijay UK said: ‘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 underway, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully cooperating throughout the process.

‘Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.

‘Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.’

The statement added: ‘If anyone would like to talk to us or raise any issues or concerns, then they can contact [email protected] in confidence.’ 

The BBC has said it takes any issues that are raised with it ‘seriously’.

A BBC spokesperson said: ‘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.’