Gregg Wallace breaks silence after MasterChef star forced to quit over ‘sexual comments to 13 colleagues’

GREGG Wallace has breached his soundlessness aft helium stepped down from MasterChef amid allegations helium made "sexual comments to 13 colleagues".

The presenter, 60, has spoken retired aft being accused of mimicking a enactment enactment successful beforehand of horrified colleagues arsenic helium faces a caller question of allegations.

Gregg said successful an Instagram video: "I would similar to convey each the radical getting successful touch, scope retired and showing their support.

"That's bully of you, convey you precise much."

It comes aft helium stepped down from his MasterChef judging relation aft a probe was launched into alleged "sexual comments".

Now, a caller question of allegations person been reported by the Daily Telegraph.

These see claims that Gregg held a pistillate MasterChef colleague's caput and thrust himself towards her portion she was kneeling down successful beforehand of him cleaning a people disconnected his trousers.

He is besides accused of walking into the MasterChef studio “completely bare but for [a] sock pulled implicit his penis” earlier doing a “silly dance”, the Telegraph - who spoke to a witnesser of the incidental - reports.

Gregg's lawyers told the BBC it was wholly mendacious that helium had engaged successful behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.

The Telegraph enquiry was instigated aft the alleged unfortunate made a ceremonial ailment to the BBC.

The ailment further alleged the presenter was “very touchy feely” and made “disgusting sex-related jokes”.

Banijay UK, which makes the deed BBC cooking show, said it was carrying retired “an immediate, outer reappraisal to afloat and impartially investigate”.

A spokesperson said: "While this reappraisal is underway, Gregg Wallace will beryllium stepping distant from his relation connected MasterChef and is committed to afloat cooperating passim the process.

"Banijay UK’s work of attraction to unit is ever a precedence and our expectations regarding behaviour are made wide to some formed and unit connected each productions, with aggregate ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, intelligibly promoted connected set.

"Whilst these are humanities allegations, incidences brought to our attraction wherever these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately."

A BBC spokesperson added: “We instrumentality immoderate issues that are raised with america earnestly and we person robust processes successful spot to woody with them. We are ever wide that immoderate behaviour which falls beneath the standards expected by the BBC volition not beryllium tolerated.

“Where an idiosyncratic is contracted straight by an outer accumulation institution we stock immoderate complaints oregon concerns with that institution and we volition ever enactment them erstwhile addressing them.”

Recorded episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals featuring Gregg volition inactive beryllium shown arsenic planned contempt the development.

It comes aft the MasterChef co-host was seen smiling extracurricular his Kent home today.

Gregg was archetypal accused of making "inappropriate intersexual comments" to a pistillate BBC staffer connected Impossible Celebrities.

Some 13 radical who worked with the presenter crossed a scope of shows implicit a 17-year play person present accused him of making intersexual comments, the BBC confirmed today.

It comes as...

• Gregg Wallace has today stepped down from MasterChef
• Star faces probe aft allegedly making intersexual remarks to 13 colleagues
• He was forced to discontinue amid the BBC's misconduct probe into his alleged behaviour
• BBC Newsnight presenter and 2011 contestant Kirsty Wark says Wallace told 'sexualised' jokes portion filming
• Gregg accused of talking openly astir his enactment life, taking his apical disconnected successful beforehand of a young staffer staffer and telling different helium wasn't wearing immoderate pants
• Previous MasterChef episodes presented by scandal-hit Gregg inactive connected iPlayer
• MasterChef star Aasmah Mir shares cryptic 'always support your receipts' post
• BBC will inactive aerial 2 Masterchef festive specials this Christmas - contempt some being fronted by Gregg Wallace

BBC Newsnight big Kirsty Wark, who said helium told "sexualised" jokes during filming connected Celebrity MasterChef successful 2011, is 1 of the complainants.

The broadcaster told however she feels powerfully that the comments were "really, truly successful the incorrect place".

Times Radio presenter and 2017 Celebrity MasterChef contestant Aasmah Mir today posted a cryptic message after the quality broke, saying: "Always support your receipts."

Other allegations see Gregg talking openly astir his enactment life, taking his apical disconnected successful beforehand of a inferior staffer and telling different young workfellow helium wasn't wearing immoderate pants.

BBC News contiguous confirmed they launched a probe into Gregg successful the summertime aft claims were made regarding 5 shows betwixt 2005 to 2022.

Gregg's lawyers person branded the latest claims arsenic mendacious but the MasterChef big was asked to measurement distant from the deed cooking bid portion a abstracted probe is carried out.

The Sun told however the Gregg archetypal landed himself successful blistery h2o with BBC bosses successful 2018 for taking disconnected his apical and bragging astir romps.

He was hauled into a gathering accused of making “inappropriate intersexual comments” to a pistillate staffer connected BBC crippled show Impossible Celebrities.

Then successful 2023, helium was accused of being rude to women portion moving connected BBC’s Inside The Factory.

After the complaints were raised, Gregg admitted helium had made comments but denied they were sexual.

He besides emphasised that helium loved his wife Anne-Marie Sterpini, who helium wed successful 2016.

The TV prima said: "With notation to what's successful the newspapers, these allegations were investigated by the BBC six years ago.

"The allegations were investigations six years agone and my comments were recovered to beryllium not sexual.

"I repeat, not sexual. Thank you everybody for your time.

"I don't privation anybody to misunderstand this and marque it look similar I was flirting with somebody. Nobody accused maine of that and I ne'er have."

Gregg has presented MasterChef alongside John Torode since 2005 and besides hosts spin-offs Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals.

He was besides the archetypal presenter of Saturday Kitchen successful 2002 and has featured connected Eat Well For Less and Supermarket Secrets.

Gregg took portion successful Strictly Come Dancing successful 2014.

It follows a bid of scandals that person plagued the BBC- including Huw Edwards' kid enactment crimes and the Strictly Come Dancing bullying probe.