The contents of Gregg Wallace‘s 2012 toe-curling autobiography, in which he recounts losing his virginity and boasts about celebrity encounters have been thrown into focus after the book’s ghostwriter Shannon Kyle broke her silence this week.
The book, titled Life on a Plate, is written with Wallace’s trademark braggadocio and touches on his early life and career.
It also contains numerous cringe-inducing references to Wallace’s other passions, including his romantic campaigns with various women.
The book’s ghostwriter Ms Kyle, claimed the TV star made ‘revolting’ and ‘sickening’ sexualised remarks and touched her inappropriately whilst they worked on it.
The MasterChef star stepped down from hosting the show after nearly 20 years last Thursday after allegations from 13 women, including Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, over a 17-year period across five shows from 2005 to 2022.
Ms Kyle has now joined a growing list of women to launch fresh allegations against the shamed presenter since Thursday. Wallace denies Ms Kyle’s claims.
The presenter’s lawyers have strongly denied he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
Here, MailOnline has selected the top five most memorable moments from Wallace’s memoir.
Shannon Kyle wrote Wallace’s 2012 memoir Life On A Plate, but alleges he behaved inappropriately
Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Shannon Kyle said Wallace openly spoke about his sex life and touched her inappropriately
Wallace co-hosted MasterChef alongside John Torode (left)
Blending in at a MasterChef live event
There is a famous scene in Steve Coogan’s I’m Alan Partridge where a crazed superfan manhandles the struggling presenter whilst wearing a cheap paper mask of his face.
In 2010 Gregg went one better, and decided the optimal disguise for his own self at a Masterchef live event was his own mask.
The BBC presenter writes that following the success of his first MasterChef live show in Earls Court he was determined to bask in the glory and adulation he had always felt his career deserved.
He writes: ‘I found myself wandering around Earl’s Court, alone among the crowds, wearing a ‘Gregg Wallace’ mask so that nobody knew it was me, and I spotted someone wearing a T-shirt with my name on too. I smiled wistfully.’
Offering his teacher outside for a fight
Numerous times throughout Gregg’s tome, the presenter alludes to the fact he’s a hardman who has always been game for a scrap.
Whether in the stands at Millwall games or in the TV industry, Gregg wants you to know he’s up for it.
In one unintentionally funny extract, the have-a-go Hercules describes how he put the fear of god in his teacher with one chilling ‘chide’.
Wallace recalls: ‘I wasn’t prepared to put up with the sort of humiliation other boys endured. Instantly I raised my fists to his face, inches away from me.
‘Come on, then,’ I chided. ‘Come on, you touch me, and I’ll punch you so hard.’
In one section of the book, Wallace writes a graphic depiction of losing his virginity
Gregg Wallace is pictured at his house in Kent shortly after stepping down from MasterChef last week
Experiencing ‘imminent virginity loss’
Many people’s first sexual encounter is an indelible memory in their sub-consciousness, for better or worse.
And most people are self aware enough to admit that it was far from a polished performance and more of an awkward stumble in the dark – not Gregg though.
In typical fashion, Wallace recounts his first sexual encounter with a woman named Andrea with staggering bravado and barely hidden boasts.
Wallace proclaims: ‘Andrea was just so hot and she was very experienced too. On one occasion she took me by the hand and led me to my old bedroom in Ivydale.
‘”You’re gorgeous,” she breathed into my ear, before grabbing my hand and guiding it to places a boy of my age could only dream of. I’d never gone ‘all the way’, suddenly I found myself faced with imminent virginity loss.
‘And I didn’t have a clue what to do. Well, within reason.’
Making a baby
Gregg’s description of the conception of his second child Libby is equally heartfelt.
Far from being prudish, Gregg delights in telling his readers the various ways he and his then partner Denise frolicked in their flat.
He reminisces: ‘Anyway, Denise and I ended up in the hallway and on the stairs making love, and bingo!
‘We were expecting a baby girl and we called her Libby! I named her after Libby Purves on BBC’s Radio Four, actually.
‘I think it’s such a pretty, clever name and thankfully Libby does too.’
Famous mates
In between hard graft (interestingly, he uses the word graft over 100 times in his book), Gregg is determined to remind his readers he has met a lot of celebrities in his life.
He is equally determined to stress that they all liked and respected him.
In one excerpt, Gregg recalls the time he met England rugby legend and 2003 World Cup winner Matt Dawson.
It was love at first sight.
Gregg writes: ‘I once met Matt Dawson, England’s most capped scrum half, on Celebrity MasterChef and I told him I watched games in slow motion, and we ended up discussing the game.
“‘You’re a proper rugby anorak,” he said, laughing.
‘He loved the fact I was so passionate about what he did, and I loved the fact he watched MasterChef.