Gregg Wallace has 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 Wallace, 59, 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.
It is claimed the live studio audience even overheard some of the comments.
But taking to Instagram this morning, Wallace hit back at the allegations in an emotional video saying he is ‘madly in love’ with his wife, Anna.
He said: ‘Good morning. With reference to what’s in the newspapers these allegations were investigated by the BBC six years ago.
Gregg Wallace has 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
Gregg Wallace, 59, boasted about his sex life to a younger female BBC employee and took his top off in front of her, it has been claimed
The insider has raised questions as to why four-times wed Wallace has been allowed to continue to present the BBC’s flagship cookery show MasterChef (Wallace pictured here with co-presenter John Torode)
‘The allegations were investigated by the BBC six years ago, and my comments were found to be not sexual. I repeat not sexual.
‘Something else that I feel very strongly about – strong enough to be on [Instagram] – nobody six years ago or since has accused me of flirting with anybody or hitting on anybody.
‘And that’s important to me and I say this for my wife Anna, who I’ve been true to and madly in love with since the day I met her. 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.’
The allegations 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’.
It comes following a series of scandals over the last few months that have rocked the corporation.
The insider who made the claims against Wallace, which his team says are ‘inaccurate’, raised questions as to why four-times wed Wallace has been allowed to continue to present the BBC’s flagship cookery show 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, Gregg was also accused of taking his top off in front of the woman which felt inappropriate. Gregg appeared to think it was all just banter and is also said to have made some comments in front of the live audience.’
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.’
Wallace quit BBC show Inside The Factory in March last year after allegations that he had been ‘rude towards staff’ and spoke to them in a ‘derogatory manner, especially to women’.
But he later denied accusations saying the claims were ‘inaccurate’.
It was reported by The Times that he had allegedly offended certain female staff members at the Nestlé UK factory in York with comments about their weight during a ‘friendly’ conversation.
The comments were non-sexual but were deemed ‘inappropriate’ and a complaint was lodged with Voltage TV, the production company responsible for developing the show.
Wallace denied the claims this morning, with his representatives saying they are ‘inaccurate’
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 Wallace brushed it off as ‘just banter’ having been reported for making ‘consistent inappropriate comments’ while working on game show Impossible Celebrities
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
‘He was given a talking-to and was appalled that he had caused such offence,’ the source added.
Wallace appeared on Good Morning Britain last August and told co-host Richard Madeley that ‘the reporting isn’t accurate.’
He revealed that there was an issue with Inside The Factory that prompted him to leave, but it was not for the reasons reported.
‘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.’
A review into the BBC’s workplace culture was prompted by the Huw Edwards scandal which saw the well-known news presenter charged with three counts of making indecent images of children.
Edwards was handed a six-month suspended sentence in September after admitting three charges of ‘making’ indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by a convicted paedophile.
It also came after a Strictly bullying probe that led to the BBC apologising to Strictly Come Dancing star Amanda Abbington after she accused her dance partner Giovanni Pernice of bullying.
While Jermaine Jenas was abruptly sacked in August for sending ‘inappropriate messages’ to two female colleagues, something he later admitted left him feeling ashamed and fighting to save his 13-year marriage to Ellie Penfold.
Wallace quit BBC show Inside The Factory in March last year after allegations that he had been ‘rude towards staff’ and spoke to them in a ‘derogatory manner, especially to women’
Wallace pictured in February last year after being made an MBE at Windsor Castle
Wallace later appeared on GMB and revealed that there was an issue with Inside The Factory that prompted him to leave, but it was not for the reasons reported
Wallace has presented MasterChef since 2005. The allegations 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’
He said in an interview with The Sun after confessing to the allegations: ‘I feel ashamed. I feel I’ve let everybody down – friends, family, colleagues.’
Addressing the women directly, he said: ‘I’m genuinely sorry for what I’ve done to you. I always thought it was consensual and a two-way thing.’
The BBC review will be led by Grahame Russell, the executive chairman and founder of Change Associates, and the report is expected to be published next spring.
It will have a particular focus on ‘preventing abuse of power and ensuring everyone at the BBC conducts themselves in line’ with BBC values, the corporation said.
Announcing the start of the review in an email to staff, BBC chairman Samir Shah said: ‘I cannot emphasise enough that I am fully committed to tackling inappropriate or abusive behaviour.
‘For most of us it is a joy to work for the BBC and that should be the case for everyone. Nobody working in the BBC should ever feel fear or worry while working here.
‘What is clear to me is that we must ensure the BBC is a safe, secure and welcoming workplace for everyone.’
MailOnline has contacted Wallace’s representatives for comment.