Gregg Wallace was a self-proclaimed football “hooligan” in his younger days and once boasted about his run-ins with the law.
The 60-year-old is stepping away from presenting BBC cooking show MasterChef while allegations of historical misconduct are under investigation. Wallace has been accused of making sexual comments towards staff and celebrity guests on a range of programmes.
The TV star fired back by saying the complaints were from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age” which he claimed “isn’t right”. He added: “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?”
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Wallace has previously talked about his South London roots and love of Championship side Millwall, describing how the club’s support earned a “fierce reputation” and that he had frequent encounters with the police. Speaking to Zoo magazine back in 2008, he said: “I was brought up in Peckham and went to Millwall regularly.
“Some of my friends from school grew up to be hooligans. Millwall had a fierce reputation at the time, which was well deserved. They had a large percentage of people that were able to cause havoc!
“I got arrested for assault when I was 20… But my Millwall days are long behind me.” Wallace added: “I was a product of my area. Police were making hundreds of arrests at every home game back then. Getting nicked was like a social pastime!”
Despite leaving his “hooligan” lifestyle in the past, Gregg’s allegiance to his team remains unshaken, evidenced by the large tattoo of the club’s lion crest emblazoned across his chest, reports the Express.
Commenting on the scandal, comedy writer Danny Baker posted on X: “A minor point but I do wish coverage of Gregg Wallace would stop using pics of him topless showing the Millwall tattoo he has on his chest. It’s likely to give our supporters a bad name.”
Wallace is accused of making inappropriate sexual remarks to 13 individuals over a span of 17 years. One of the complainants is former Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, who claimed that during her stint on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011, Wallace subjected her to jokes of a “sexualised nature”.
(Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
Wark expressed to the media that on two separate occasions, Wallace made sexually charged comments and jokes in the presence of contestants and crew, leaving her feeling they were “really, really in the wrong place”.
BBC News has been informed of further claims against the presenter, including him “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”.
The television personality’s legal representatives have stated to BBC News that “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”.
Earlier on Thursday, it was disclosed Wallace is “committed to fully co-operating” with an independent investigation by MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK.
A statement 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 co-operating 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 speakupbanijayuk.com in confidence.
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A spokesperson for the BBC 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.”
Wallace gained fame as the co-host of MasterChef alongside John Torode since 2005, along with its spin-off series Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals.
Despite the controversy, previously recorded episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals featuring Wallace will go ahead and be broadcast as scheduled, with the next instalment set to air on Thursday.