Gregg Wallace 'can't wear underwear' due to autism as he's sacked by BBC
Friends of Gregg Wallace has claimed his autism is partly to blame for alleged behaviour that has seen him sacked from BBC's MasterChef, after 21 years. More specifically, the 60-year-old reportedly has 'autistic hypersensitivity', which results in him having an 'oddity of filters and boundaries'.
It is claimed another effect of his autism is an exaggerated sensory experience, which means he has 'inability to wear underwear because of his autistic hypersensitivity to labels and tight clothing'. The BBC host stepped away from MasterChef back in November, after 13 people made complaints of inappropriate sexual comments against him over a 17-year period.
According to BBC News, he is now facing fresh allegations from at least 50 people, who say they encountered him across a range of shows and settings.
Among the claims, one MasterChef worker says she was groped by Gregg, which left her feeling "absolutely horrified" and "quite sick".
Another said he pulled trousers down in front of her in a dressing room, what she described as "disgusting and predatory" behaviour.
He has strongly denied these allegations. Gregg himself has claimed that being autistic has led him to misread social situations, and friends claim it stopped him from going out.
A friend told The Times: 'He stopped going out with the team and stopped telling jokes because he realised he didn't know what was right and what crossed the line.'
'Gregg is guilty of bad jokes and rough humour," a source previously said. "But so many people on the show talked openly about suspecting that he had autism for years before he got his diagnosis.
'To sack him now when they were well aware of his condition is outrageous. He's going to take them to the cleaners."
The new allegations come to light just days before the result of a report on separate claims made last year. It led to MasterChef's production company Banijay commissioning a report on him, which was overseen by the law firm Lewis Silkin.
The former BBC star has admitted to "using inappropriate language", which he apologised for in a statement, but claims he has been cleared of 'the most serious and sensational accusations made against me'.
As part of a lengthy statement shared on his Instagram page, Gregg also hit out at his employers for doing "nothing" to investigate his disability.
He claimed: "My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef.
"Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over twenty years. That failure is now being quietly buried."
He concluded: "I was tried by media and hung out to dry well before the facts were established. The full story of this incredible injustice must be told and it is very much a matter of public interest."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
19 minutes ago
- The Guardian
TV tonight: who was the real Jayne Mansfield? Her daughter tells all
9pm, Sky Documentaries A touching, beautiful film that takes us back to Hollywood's golden age. TV actor Mariska Hargitay was only three years old when her 34-year-old mother Jayne Mansfield died. Deprived of any memories, she goes in search of the real Jayne – away from the sex symbol – via inherited belongings, home movies and never-before-seen photos, visiting the now demolished 'pink palace' and speaking with her siblings properly for the first time. Hollie Richardson 6pm, BBC Two The 1985 Live Aid concert was a whopping 16 hours long, but the anniversary package is a mere seven. The early acts underline how many mainstream white artists played, with Status Quo, Led Zeppelin and Phil Collins all turning out. The less often-seen backstage footage should be richer. Jack Seale 9pm, ITV2 There's much buzz around Love Island this summer. Sadly, it's centred entirely on the ratings hit that is the seventh US season, while the 12th series of its UK sibling trundles along with little fanfare, despite being hosted by Maya Jama. Still, there are worse ways to spend a Saturday night, aren't there? Right?! Hannah J Davies 9.40pm, BBC One Lee Mack's popular sitcom reaches its penultimate chapter, with the final ever episode airing next week. As they continue to muddle through post-kids life, Lee (Mack) and Lucy (Sally Bretton) become extras playing elves in TV series Dragon Castle. Cue the usual high-jinks. HR 10.40pm, ITV1 Differences between the UK and US legal systems are highlighted, as agents Anderson (Noah Emmerich) and Okoye (Angel Coulby) investigate the disappearance of the Oxford-student son of a high profile American (Uma Thurman). Namely, it's a pacing issue: 'I've been here for three days,' says Anderson. 'All I've seen you do is release people.' Ellen E Jones 11.45pm, ITV1 In this inspiring and sweet documentary, the nicest guy in football, Ian Wright, helps to launch the first ever girls' under-14 team at his Lewisham childhood club that he owes his career to. It's not just about finding 'the next big thing,' he says – it's simply to give girls the opportunity to play. HR Oppenheimer, out now, Netflix After its extraordinary theatrical run and silverware haul, it's safe to assume that everyone who wants to watch Oppenheimer has already watched it. But even after all the ballyhoo about seeing it on the big screen, Christopher Nolan's film loses very little impact on TV. It's still a total marvel, turning a bog-standard biopic into a puzzlebox of clashing timelines. It's still masterly to look at, transforming the planes of Cillian Murphy's face into grand topography. Best of all, we get to see what Robert Downey Jr looks like when he really puts his all into acting. A must watch. Stuart Heritage A Man Called Otto, 9pm, Channel 4 His days as the do-no-wrong king of Hollywood behind him, Tom Hanks has long since settled into a much more rewarding second act. He writes books. He's become a Wes Anderson day-player. And, more importantly, he gets to star in films like A Man Called Otto. Hanks plays a bitter old crank who plans to kill himself, only to be shaken out of his stupor when he begins to integrate with his neighbours. It's a hard role to pull off – lean too hard one way and you become repellant, lean too hard the other and you become unpleasantly sentimental – but Hanks gets it exactly right. SH Cycling:Tour de France, noon, TNT Sport 1 The eighth stage of the men's race. The ninth stage starts on Sunday from noon, with coverage continuing throughout the week. Tennis: Wimbledon 2025, 11am, BBC Two Penultimate day of this year's tournament, with the women's singles final. The men's singles final is on Sunday from 4pm on BBC One. Test Cricket: England v India, 2pm, Sky Sports Main Event The third day of the Third Test in the five-match series from Lord' play starts at 10.15am. International Rugby: Argentina v England, 8.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event The second test from estadio San Juan del Bicentenario.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Jake Paul loses $1million bet with Mike Tyson on Katie Taylor fight
Katie Taylor beat Amanda Serrano for the third time in a row as she won their trilogy fight in New York, but the bout failed to live up to expectations Jake Paul lost his $1million bet with Mike Tyson as Katie Taylor retained her undisputed super-lightweight world title with a third victory over Amanda Serrano in New York. After three years since their first bruising battle in the Big Apple, which saw Taylor clinch a split-decision win, and another victory in Texas last year, the third bout fell short of expectations, swapping out drama for strategy. However, Taylor deservedly emerged victorious again, with one judge scoring it a draw and two judges favouring her 97-93. And the result means Paul, who promotes Serrano, will have to stump up to Tyson who had backed Taylor to win. The former opponents, who met in a controversial fight last year, agreed a pre-fight bet on social media. In a video uploaded to Instagram, Paul confirmed that he and Tyson have a bet for the main event. "Mike! Wassup?" Said Paul. "Man, a lot of people are saying that Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor's fight was better than ours." Tyson quickly replied "Oh yeah?" Paul quickly cut in and replied: "They're fighting again this weekend!" Without hesitation, Tyson stated: "I have got Katie (Taylor)." Unsurprisingly, the 'Problem Child' is backing MVP star Serrano. "Do you wanna bet?" Replied Paul. After a brief pause, Tyson chuckled and agreed to the wager. "All right. If Katie wins then you get $1m, but if Amanda wins, then I get $1m." Tyson agreed: "I like that!" And almost immediately after the final bell, Tyson took to social media to call on Paul to pay up. "Congrats to Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano on the trilogy fight on Netflix," he wrote. " Jake Paul, see you at dinner to collect my million!" Ultimately, Friday night's third meeting had muted beginnings compared to the grand finale of their previous encounter. It wasn't until the second round that Serrano ramped up the attack, though Taylor responded swiftly with her counters. The third round saw a surge of excitement as both fighters briefly abandoned caution. Taylor then dominated the fourth, timing her assaults with increasing accuracy and maintaining the upper hand through the fifth round, despite the fight not quite reaching the explosive heights many had hoped for. Serrano ramped up the pressure as the second half of the fight began, cornering Taylor and landing a solid right hand as the bell rang. However, Taylor retaliated in the seventh round, with one combination often being enough to win the round due to the lack of action. By the eighth round, Taylor had a bruise under her right eye and was instructed by her corner to increase her efforts in the final four minutes. Despite this, she timed Serrano perfectly, causing the Puerto Rican to miss before it was Taylor who ended the fight stronger, leaving the decision once again to the judges. In other fights, Savannah Marshall suffered an unexpected loss to Shadasia Green in their super-middleweight unification bout. Despite Green losing a point for holding, she was declared the winner on two out of three judges' scorecards, marking only the second defeat in Marshall's career. Meanwhile, Ellie Scotney defeated Yamileth Mercado to retain her super-bantamweight world titles, while Alicia Baumgardner did the same against Jennifer Miranda in the main support fight. Cherneka Johnson, Chantelle Cameron, Ramla Ali and Tamm Thibeault also celebrated victories.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Pep Guardiola's daughter shares wholesome moment with dad at Oasis gig
The Manchester City boss was in the crowd at Heaton Park on Friday night as Oasis played their first homecoming gig in the city since 2005 and his daughter captured a very special moment on video Pep Guardiola enjoyed a special father-daughter moment with Maria at Oasis ' first homecoming gig in Heaton Park. Oasis kicked off the first of their Heaton Park comeback shows last night. The five nights are the Gallagher brothers first time playing in their hometown since 2009. The band wowed fans with a nostalgic setlist of their greatest hits, culminating in a spectacular fireworks display that lit up the night sky. Among the crowd was Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and his daughter who shared a video on Instagram showing the pair singing along to 'Don't Look Back in Anger' together. The Manchester City manager received several shoutouts during the night, including one from Liam Gallagher, who said: "I'd like to dedicate this to the greatest f***** manager of all time". Pep also took a photo with Noel's and Liam's children, shared on Gene's Instagram page. Wearing a retro Manchester City kit and casual denim shorts, Pep looked like a typical concert-going dad as he raised his drink for the photo, reports the Manchester Evening News. Before the show, a message on the huge screens read: 'This is not a drill', followed by a montage of Oasis reunion rumours, newspaper headlines, and finally, the confirmation from last August. As the crowd erupted into cheers, a voice announced: "The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over." The adoring crowd let out a deafening roar as Manchester's favourite sons took the stage, arms raised and hands clasped together. "Manchester this is it, Manchester in the area," Liam Gallagher roared as he and his brother Noel led a triumphant Oasis reunion gig. Before their electrifying comeback at Cardiff earlier in July 2025, the last time Oasis had performed together was back at V Festival in August 2009, ending on a high note with 'I Am The Walrus'. Formed in the heart of Manchester in 1991, Oasis quickly became synonymous with the Britpop movement, achieving global fame and influencing countless artists with their seven chart-topping albums over two decades. The Gallagher brothers, Liam and Noel, have always been at the centre of the band's success and controversies, known for their captivating performances and songwriting prowess, as well as their notorious sibling rivalry that has provided endless headlines. Following Oasis's split in 2009, the Gallaghers went their separate ways, fronting their own bands, Beady Eye and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, respectively.
