Former BBC presenter Gregg Wallace has defended himself in his first interview since stepping down from his internet hosting duties following complaints about his habits and language behind the scenes.
Wallace left his high-profile internet hosting gig on the BBC’s MasterChef in November 2024, and this weekend he informed the Every day Mail newspaper the “tidal wave of abuse” he obtained left him contemplating suicide, pondering, “Is my insurance coverage updated? Will [Wallace’s wife] Anna get some cash? She doesn’t deserve this. It will be higher if I wasn’t right here.”
An investigation by BBC Information – which works independently of the BBC’s programme makers – revealed allegations o f inappropriate sexual feedback by 13 individuals who had labored with Wallace throughout a spread of exhibits, over a 17-year-period.
Since then, additional claims of “groping” and “touching” have emerged, all of which Wallace has strenuously denied, including that he had phoned a number of co-presenters and company who had supported his model of occasions.
He informed the Every day Mail he’d realised about seven years in the past that the brash, energetic, outspoken greengrocer persona he first dropped at his internet hosting duties was now not acceptable, and he modified. He additionally referred to his current autism analysis of which, he stated, “I’m not blaming my behaviour on my analysis, nevertheless it does clarify a hell of rather a lot to me.”
MasterChef‘s manufacturing firm Banijay has additionally launched an inquiry into the historic allegations. Each investigations have but to report their findings.
When he stood down whereas the BBC investigated the claims, Wallace arguably made issues worse for himself by posting a video on social media, during which he stated “the allegations got here from ‘a handful of middle-class girls of a sure age.”
At that time, even the UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer referred to as the presenter’s remarks “inappropriate and misogynistic.”
The BBC has since introduced that the present will return with Wallace changed by restaurant critic Grace Dent.
