John Torode sacked by BBC after being accused of using N-word while singing along to Kanye West song Gold Digger
The Sun understands he repeated lyrics from rapper Kanye West's hit Gold Digger, which contain the racial slur, at an after-work gathering six or seven years ago.
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MasterChef presenter John Torode was sacked by the BBC for allegedly using the N-word twice
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Torode repeated lyrics from rapper Kanye West's hit Gold Digger, which contains the racial slur
Credit: Getty
Torode, 59, is said to have used the word again while chatting to a pal on the BBC show's production team.
Richard Osman, ex-host on BBC quiz show Pointless, said
Torode, who vehemently denies ever using the N-word, is 'utterly devastated' by the accusations.
He was sacked this week after an investigation by the Beeb and production company Banijay.
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READ MORE ON JOHN TORODE
Torode allegedly used the word a second time when speaking to a member of the production team — who was a friend and did not take offence.
The person who raised the complaint on that occasion is understood to have overheard the conversation
And his production pal reckoned Torode only used the slur as an 'example' and 'apologised afterwards'.
Those close to Torode said he vehemently denies ever using the N-word, whether in song lyrics or otherwise.
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But
A source said: 'John is in a pretty bad way — he's feeling very fragile.
'He's utterly devastated and just wants to clear his name.'
Aussie-born Torode was only spoken to by a representative from legal firm Lewis Silkin at the end of June as part of the
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A source added: 'One of the allegations is that he said the N-word while repeating Kanye's Gold Digger song during a gathering with his colleagues when filming had ended.
'John is adamant he would never have used the N-word and only knows the radio version of the song which says, 'Now I ain't sayin' she a gold digger, but she ain't messin' with no broke, broke'. The clean version of the song is the only one he knows.
'The person who raised the complaint didn't say anything at the time. So John only found out a few weeks ago that this issue had been raised.
John Torode breaks silence on MasterChef co-star Gregg Wallace accusations
'This has hit him like a ton of bricks as he does not recall it.
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'And he insists he would never have repeated the N-word in those lyrics because he only knows the radio edit of that song.'
Of the second allegation, a source close to Torode said he did not recall using the N-word.
The source added: 'John is adamant he would never use this word while speaking to anyone.
'The person he is alleged to have said this to didn't complain, it was someone who overheard it.
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'In fact he was close to the person he is supposed to have said it to and they got on very well while working together.
'Even the person who John was supposedly having the overheard conversation with said he had mentioned the word in reference and apologised straight away.
'But John has said he cannot recall the conversation and he would never use the N-word. He knows it is unacceptable and says he would never have said it.
'During his meeting John was in disbelief because he insisted he would never have used that word.'
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'He is being supported by his wife Lisa and his friends', says a source
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Those close to
A source added: 'John is devastated by all of this.
'He is being supported by his wife
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'John abhors this kind of language and does not recall ever reciting a racist slur in a lyric, or directing one to someone he considered a friend at work.
'He adored MasterChef. It was a huge part of his life. To have it all ending like this is awful.'
Torode's celeb friends have also publicly spoken out on his behalf.
Piers Morgan tweeted: 'Salem wants its witch trials back.'
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And media personality Christine Hamilton, a Celebrity MasterChef finalist, said: 'John Torode is one of the nicest, kindest guys I've ever met. His sacking by the vile BBC is deeply unjust and shows how deeply entrenched is their wokeism.'
Richard Osman, former host of BBC quiz show Pointless, said on his podcast yesterday: 'He used, I think, probably the worst racial slur there is and they found that to be substantively true.
'They found evidence they were happy with. He said that he couldn't remember it. But that one was upheld.'
Both Pointless and House of Games are part of Banijay UK's portfolio of shows.
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A spokesman for Banijay declined to comment.
A total of
The majority were inappropriate sexual language, although one related to unwanted touching.
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Both Torode and Gregg Wallace have been axed by the Beeb this year
Credit: PA
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