Rick Stein assures he has 'no skeletons' himself after showing support to Gregg Wallace

MasterChef prima Gregg Wallace has faced accusations of unprofessionalism successful the workplace - and has been suspended by the BBC pending an probe into the claims

Rick Stein has offered his sympathy for chap TV cook Gregg Wallace - whose vocation imploded past twelvemonth successful the aftermath of allegations of inappropriate behaviour behind-the-scenes of his show.

Last year, a drawstring of women stepped guardant to impeach Gregg, 60, of making inappropriate comments and touching - allegations helium has furiously denied. The MasterChef prima made matters worse for himself, however, erstwhile helium took to societal media to support himself and blamed "middle-class women of a definite age" for speaking retired astir him.

While the backlash against the prima has been severe, helium has present been offered a much sympathetic absorption from 78-year-old cook Rick who has said helium feels "a spot sorry" for the BBC star. Gregg has been suspended from his BBC jobs pending an probe into the allegations made against him - which is believed to beryllium ongoing.

Rick said it would “affect maine terribly” if helium recovered himself successful a akin concern - but made wide that helium had not “got immoderate skeletons successful a cupboard” himself. However, helium added the existent acquisition of his adjacent was "unfortunate".

Speaking to The Telegraph, the Rick Stein’s Food Stories big said helium knew Wallace, saying helium is “just a antithetic property to me”. He added: “It’s benignant of unfortunate if you are that benignant of idiosyncratic that you tin travel a spot unstuck. I deliberation partially helium hadn’t truly taken connected that you can’t accidental definite things now. It’s not truthful overmuch that helium was a nasty person.

“I’m fortunate that I’ve got sons who volition instantly archer me, ‘listen, you can’t accidental this’. And if you don’t prime up connected that, the information that things change, good that’s not precise clever. Sometimes you think, ‘I can’t judge this’, and past you deliberation ‘well, that’s the mode it is’. There’s nary constituent successful getting each stroppy astir it.

“I consciousness a spot atrocious for him really. But I don’t similar sleaziness truthful I’m not saying that (about each of Wallace’s behaviour). But helium conscionable didn’t realise that the upwind had changed.”

Asked if helium ever worries astir the benignant of nationalist ungraded Gregg has go embroiled in, helium replied: “I don’t. I haven’t got immoderate skeletons successful a cupboard. Hopefully. But immoderate radical conscionable are unlucky and get progressive successful thing not truly [out of] their ain fault.”

Gregg’s lawyers antecedently told the BBC “it is wholly mendacious that helium engages successful behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”. The astir caller bid of MasterChef: The Professionals continued to aerial past twelvemonth amid allegations against Wallace, but 2 MasterChef personage Christmas specials were pulled from the BBC’s docket successful December 2024.

Food professional Grace Dent has been drafted successful to regenerate Gregg arsenic a justice connected the forthcoming 20th play of Celebrity MasterChef alongside John Torode. A BBC spokesperson antecedently said the corp volition not “tolerate behaviour that falls beneath the standards we expect” and volition proceed to champion “a civilization that is kind, inclusive and respectful”.

A memo sent to unit by the BBC director-general, Tim Davie, and Charlotte Moore, main contented officer, said the corp would beryllium supporting MasterChef shaper Banijay UK successful its investigation. And earlier this month, Banijay UK said successful a statement: “It is important to enactment 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.”

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