Penny Lancaster has candidly opened up about working with Gregg Wallace on Celebrity MasterChef, revealing she was left “shaking”.
TV chef, Gregg, 60, made front-page news last year after allegations of inappropriate behaviour and language were made against him. Because of this, Gregg stepped back from his hosting duties on MasterChef.
Following a seven-month investigation, a report revealed that 45 out of 83 allegations against former MasterChef host Gregg have been upheld.
But now, Penny – who previously accused Gregg of bullying her – has spoken about her experience with Gregg.
Penny Lancaster on ‘abusive’ Gregg Wallace experience
In an extract of her new book, Someone Like Me, due to be released in September, Penny Lancaster discussed her time on Celebrity Masterchef, when Gregg Wallace was one of the judges.
“Nobody goes on a cooking programme expecting to be abused, yet that’s exactly how I came away feeling after my time on Celebrity MasterChef,” Penny said.
She revealed that during her stint on the show in 2021, social distancing rules were in place.
On the first day, Penny said Gregg “made some not-so-funny jokes, which everyone seemed to smile politely at”.
He also allegedly showed people “personal snaps” on his phone and “boasted” about his past relationships – something Penny said “seemed entirely inappropriate”.
‘There was a negative energy around Gregg Wallace’
As MailOnline reports, Penny said: “It was hard to put my finger on it, but there was a negative energy around Wallace. It was as if he was on a mission to wind people up the wrong way, especially women.”
Penny then recalled that after creating her show-stopper dish, she was “so proud” of herself. However, she noted that any feeling of accomplishment “was about to be shattered”.
According to Penny, Gregg then took an orchid that was featured in the dish and “shoved it in his pocket”.
Penny recalled that she was unsure if it was a joke or if he was “trying to put me off”. She then asked “politely” if he would return the flower.
Penny Lancaster left ‘shaking’
However, Penny claimed that Gregg had a “thunderous stare” on his face and “marched over”. He then alleged “slammed” the tray down and told Penny in a “menacingly” tone: “I’m the judge and I make all the decisions”.
Penny said she “couldn’t believe what I was seeing or hearing” and called Gregg’s “sudden mood change” both “strange and disorientating”.
She added: “By now I was shaking. Everyone watched on in silence; the atmosphere felt unbearable. I had hoped a director or producer might step forward to defuse the situation, but that didn’t happen. Maybe everyone is used to him behaving like this? I figured.”
Penny also said she “half-expected” Gregg’s co-host John Torode to “have a word” with him, but that didn’t happen.
She said: “Although I knew I could stick up for myself, I did feel quietly mortified that no one senior in the room was coming to my rescue. Instead, I picked up my tray and walked back to the pedestal.”
Penny called it ‘such a demeaning position to be put in’
Penny then revealed that she asked Gregg again to put it back, in which he didn’t reply.
Thinking she “wasn’t going to let him get away with it”, she asked for a third time, telling Gregg that the flower was her “property”. Gregg then allegedly responded by taking the orchid out of his pocket and ‘dropping it to the floor’.
Penny ended up picking the flower off the floor and called it “such a demeaning position to be put in”.
She then revealed that as filming began for the show, Gregg “switched effortlessly into filming mode” and “smiled” at Penny before chatting to her and eating her food. Penny was left puzzled by the change and said it “was like a different person” standing in front of her.
ED! has contacted Gregg Wallace for comment.
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