Gregg Wallace comment left me crying with humiliation, ex-MasterChef contestant claims

A erstwhile MasterChef contestant has told Sky News that Gregg Wallace made innuendos "constantly" during filming and was heard by unit members - and that 1 sexually inappropriate remark near her successful tears.

Jackie Kearney, who is present a cook and look publication author, finished 4th successful the BBC cooking amusement successful 2011, and aboriginal returned arsenic a impermanent judge.

Following the emergence of the #MeToo question successful 2017, she told Sky News analogous Ashna Hurynag she felt it was "only a substance of time" earlier claims of Wallace's alleged inappropriate comments emerged.

She said she had been "troubled" by his "household favourite status" implicit the years, arsenic she felt helium was "a spot of a sleaze down closed doors".

Warning - this communicative includes violative comments of a intersexual nature

Wallace, 60, has stepped distant from hosting MasterChef portion allegations helium made intersexual comments towards unit and personage guests, connected a scope of programmes implicit 17 years, are investigated.

His lawyers person said "it is wholly mendacious that helium engages successful behaviour of a sexually harassing nature".

During her clip connected the show, Kearney said the presenter would marque "sexual innuendos astir women erstwhile they weren't successful earshot", arsenic good arsenic successful beforehand of them.

She said: "There were respective times that helium would remark connected my legs, oregon remark connected the skirts I was wearing... helium made a remark once: 'If I'd known you had legs similar that, possibly you'd person made it further'."

In 2015, Kearney published the archetypal successful a bid of books astir vegan food. Following the work of her 2nd successful 2017, she returned to MasterChef arsenic a impermanent justice and said she wanted to springiness Wallace and his co-presenter John Torode a copy.

"I was feeling truly arrogant of it," she said. "John arsenic ever was a implicit gentleman." Wallace was "in the mediate of filming", she said, successful the workplace having his make-up retouched erstwhile she approached him.

"There was unit everyplace and helium was mic'ed up," she said. "I came into the workplace and was like, 'Hi Gregg, I've got thing for you!' And helium said, 'Oh, is it a contiguous for my cock?'"

'Nobody said anything'

Kearney said she was truthful shocked that she stopped still.

"I felt similar I wanted the crushed to swallow maine up. The humiliation and embarrassment... but it wasn't conscionable astir what helium said. I felt truthful humiliated, I felt truthful stupid."

She said she walked distant "as rapidly arsenic possible", went to the toilets and cried.

"The tears were astir feeling humiliated, feeling small, feeling made to consciousness 'less than'. I besides went astir that time hating what I was wearing due to the fact that he'd already commented connected my legs earlier that day."

Kearney thought idiosyncratic connected the unit mightiness talk to her afterwards.

"As I came retired of the toilets, I thought possibly idiosyncratic would travel up to maine and inquire me, you know, 'Are you okay?' Nobody said anything."

Read more:
What are the allegations - and what has Wallace said?
'Middle-aged women' remark - an epic nonaccomplishment successful situation management

She said determination was "no way" different radical did not perceive Wallace's "innuendos perpetually passim filming" and that it was enactment down to "lad culture" and "banter - but if it's conscionable banter and it's fun, past wherefore americium I crying successful the toilet?"

Kearney said she was "disappointed" by the crew, but besides successful herself for letting it impact her.

She believes Wallace "created an environment" successful which his sexually inappropriate comments were "normalised successful mode that you would expect to spot successful a '90s lads mag".

While galore radical were alert of his alleged behaviour, it was "difficult" to talk retired "about idiosyncratic who seems to beryllium precise popular... oregon astir a amusement that is decidedly precise popular", she said.

"That's really truly hard due to the fact that you consciousness similar you're sticking your caput supra the parapet... radical person got a batch to suffer by speaking up. If you talk up against MasterChef, you're going to beryllium dropped by the brand. If you talk retired against a fashionable antheral presenter, your estimation is the 1 that's going to beryllium dragged done the mud."

Kearney's claims travel aft different erstwhile contestant told Sky News the allegations that person emerged astir Wallace are conscionable the "tip of the iceberg" erstwhile it comes to MasterChef - claiming helium witnessed a "toxic environment" connected acceptable and that the occupation was "larger" than conscionable the presenter.

Former personage contestants including Kirsty Wark, Kirstie Allsopp and Emma Kennedy person besides spoken out.

At the weekend, Wallace issued a defiant response, dismissing his accusers arsenic "middle-class women of a definite age". However, helium has since apologised for his comments - which were described arsenic "completely inappropriate and misogynistic" by a spokesperson for the premier minister.

In a video connected Monday, Wallace said: "I privation to apologise for immoderate offence that I caused with my station yesterday and immoderate upset I whitethorn person caused to a batch of people.

"I wasn't successful a bully caput abstraction erstwhile I posted it, I've been nether a immense magnitude of stress, a batch of emotion, I felt precise alone, nether siege yesterday erstwhile I posted it.

"It's evident to maine I request to instrumentality immoderate clip retired present portion this probe is nether way. I anticipation you recognize and I bash anticipation you judge this apology."

What person producers and the BBC said?

Wallace is being investigated by MasterChef's accumulation institution Banijay UK.

"Banijay UK takes this substance incredibly earnestly but portion the outer probe is ongoing, we won't beryllium commenting connected idiosyncratic allegations," a spokesperson for the institution said.

"It is important to note, that MasterChef payment processes are regularly adapted and strengthened and determination are wide protocols to enactment some unit and contributors. These see aggregate ways of reporting issues, including anonymously. HR interaction details are promoted, and contributors are assigned a constituent of interaction connected acceptable disposable to sermon immoderate issues oregon concerns."

A BBC spokesperson said: "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.

"It would beryllium inappropriate for america to remark connected thing that could signifier portion of Banijay's ongoing probe oregon different power it."

Sky News has contacted representatives for Wallace for comment.