Gregg Wallace accuses BBC of 'clickbait' as he breaks silence

Wales Online

12 hours ago

Gregg Wallace accuses BBC of 'clickbait' as he breaks silence
Gregg Wallace has hit out with a blistering statement
Gregg Wallace
(Image: YouTube/GreggWallace.Health )
Gregg Wallace has said he can no longer "sit in silence" after being replaced by the BBC. The Beeb said in November that the former MasterChef host would "step away" from presenting the show while "allegations of historical misconduct are investigated".
Producers later confirmed Grace Dent would replace him for the show's Christmas specials. In a new Instagram post on Tuesday, July 8, Gregg said he has "taken the decision to speak out ahead of the publication of the Silkins report", adding it is "a decision I do not take lightly."
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He continued: "But after 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others. I have now been cleared by the Silkins report of the most serious and sensational accusations made against me.
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"The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation. My decision to go public now is also driven by the fact the BBC News division are intending to platform legally unsafe accusations, including claims which have already been investigated and not upheld by the BBC and found not credible by Silkins.
"The BBC is no longer providing balanced and impartial public service journalism. It is peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories. The BBC is choosing to allow BBC News to run with this uncorroborated tittle tattle in an attempt to 'get ahead' of the Silkin's summary report and derail what has been an extremely thorough process.
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"This feels to me like BBC News is chasing slanderous click-bait rather than delivering impartial journalism. To be clear, the Silkin's Report exonerates me of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year and finds me primarily guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018.
"I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise without reservation. But I was never the caricature now being sold for clicks.
"I was hired by the BBC and MasterChef as the cheeky greengrocer. A real person with warmth, character, rough edges and all. For over two decades, that authenticity was part of the brand. Now, in a sanitised world, that same personality is seen as a problem.
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"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.
"Unfortunately, the full report (over 200 pages) will never be seen. Later this week, the BBC will publish a short Executive Summary. What really concerns me about the short summary is others who have been found guilty of serious allegations have been erased from the published version of events. I, and I'm sure the public, would like to know why?
"I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience. 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."