MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has shared a defiant statement amid claims he’s been fired from BBC show.
Gregg’s departure comes after an independent inquiry into his alleged behaviour apparently cleared the chef of “the most serious and sensational accusations” levelled at him.
The TV chef hit the headlines at the end of last year after allegations of inappropriate behaviour and language were made against him. As a result, Gregg stepped back from his hosting duties on MasterChef. And show bosses at Banijay – which makes MasterChef – launched a probe, hiring law firm Lewis Silkin to conduct the inquiry.
Now, in a statement on social media today (July 8), Gregg has hit out. He’s accused the BBC of “intending to platform legally unsafe accusations” about him ahead of the release of the findings of the inquiry.
The report is officially due out on Thursday, but his legal team have been given an early steer, according to insiders.
MasterChef star Gregg Wallace shares statement
In a lengthy statement, Gregg said: “After 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others. I have now been cleared by the Silkins report of the most serious and sensational accusations against me.
“The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation,” he said.
Explaining his decision to make a statement, Gregg alleged: “My decision to go public now is also driven by the fact the BBC News division are intending to platform legally unsafe accusations, including claims which have already been investigated and not upheld by the BBC and found not credible by Silkins.”
He then claimed: “The BBC is no longer producing balanced and impartial public service journalism. This feels to me like BBC News is chasing slanderous clickbait rather than delivering impartial journalism.”
However, it should be pointed out that BBC News is editorially independent of the corporation.
Gregg Wallace issues apology over inappropriate language
Gregg then shared what he has – and crucially hasn’t – been found guilty of by the law firm.
He said: “To be clear, the Silkins report exonerates me of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year.”
Gregg then added: “It finds me primarily guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018.” Issuing an apology, Gregg then continued: “I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that I apologise without reservation. But I was never the caricature now being sold for clicks.”
‘Nothing was done to protect me from a dangerous environment’
Explaining further, he said: “I was hired by the BBC and MasterChef as the cheeky greengrocer. A real person with warmth, character, rough edges and all.
“For over two decades, that authenticity was part of the brand. Now, in a sanitised world, that same personality is seen as a problem.”
I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience.
Gregg also hit out over a failure to offer a safe working environment for him, considering his neurodiversity.
“My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef. Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years.
“That failure is now being quietly buried.”
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‘I will not go quietly’
Gregg then claimed that the full report – 200 pages – will never be seen. “Later this week, the BBC will publish a short Executive Summary,” he said.
Hinting that he has been sacked, Gregg then vowed: “I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience. The full story of this incredible injustice must be told and it is very much a matter of public interest.”
A BBC spokesperson told us: “Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace. We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.”
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