Gregg Wallace hits out at 'sensationalised' BBC amid reports he has been fired from MasterChef
There has been a nine-month investigation into his behaviour. Wallace stepped aside from MasterChef after complaints to the BBC from 13 people, including Newsnight host Kirsty Wark who accused him of inappropriate sexual comments during filming. At the time, the former MasterChef judge had sparked furore when he claimed the complaints were made by "a handful of middle-class women of a certain age", a remark he later apologised for.
The TV judge, 60, is best known for starring on MasterChef, Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals alongside John Torode, where he had been a judge on the cooking series since 2005. Now it's been reported that the former greengrocer will not return to his high-profile job.
"I have taken the decision to speak out ahead of the publication of the Silkins report — a decision I do not take lightly," Wallace wrote on Instagram. "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. 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."
He said: "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."
It's reported the full report will be out on Thursday. After being informed of the decision behind closed doors, Wallace decided to share his feelings publicly.
He added: "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."
Wallace launched a direct attack on the BBC as he made claims that it was "no longer providing balanced and impartial service journalism". "It is peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories," he wrote.
The food critic said he was hired to be the "cheeky greengrocer", a "real person, with warmth, character, rough edges and all". Wallace said he has been formally diagnosed with autism. The NHS said people with autism may act in a different way to others and find it "hard to communicate and interact with other people".
A BBC spokesperson told Yahoo UK: "Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace. We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published."
Wallace is not employed by the BBC. He was contracted by production companies that make the shows he stars in and the shows are sold to the BBC.
Banijay UK will publish the report, not the BBC.
Tough food critic Grace Dent was announced as Wallace's replacement while the investigation was ongoing. She has filmed Celebrity MasterChef and she revealed she finds it hard sending stars home.
Only days ago, Wallace had announced he was going to become a personal trainer. He is married to his fourth wife Anna and they share son Sid together. The PT has two older children, Tom and Libby, with his ex-wife Denise.
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