Gregg Wallace breaks silence after report upholds 45 complaints against BBC MasterChef presenter
The 60-year-old MasterChef presenter was sacked from the BBC following the findings of the inquiry, with allegations including claims of inappropriate sexual language and one incident of unwelcome physical contact.
A 'smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated.'
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Wallace has now issued a statement on the report's findings, saying he is "deeply sorry for any distress caused."
He said: "For eight months, my family and I have lived under a cloud. Trial by media, fuelled by rumour and clickbait. None of the serious allegations against me were upheld.
"I challenged the remaining issue of unwanted touching but have had to accept a difference in perception, and I am deeply sorry for any distress caused. It was never intended."
Regarding his autism spectrum diagnosis during the investigation, he added: "A late autism diagnosis has helped me understand how I communicate and how I'm perceived. I'm still learning."
Despite his recent diagnosis of autism, the production company Banijay behind MasterChef, along with the BBC, said the number of sustained allegations made Wallace's return to MasterChef "untenable".
The "vast majority" of the complaints (94% ) were relating to behaviour that happened between 2005 and 2018.
This is when Wallace was given a 90-minute reprimand by former head of unscripted Kate Philips, who is now the BBC's director of content.
The findings come after law firm Lewis Silkin spent seven months speaking to 41 complainants who were among the total of 78 witnesses.
This was in a bid to try and substantiate the 83 allegations made against Wallace.
The report said: 'Mr Wallace was consistently described as energetic, humorous, and generally able to put contestants at ease, which contributed to the show's success.
"However, these interactions and some comments made within earshot of contestants or colleagues sometimes resulted in offence and/or left people feeling uncomfortable. Sometimes other people who were present laughed along.
"Occasionally these comments were called out in the moment by people who heard them, but very often they were not.'
It added: 'Mr Wallace's neurodiversity diagnosis is considered highly relevant in the context of the findings made, particularly regarding his use of humour as a 'masking' technique and his difficulty in reading social cues.
"Mr Wallace accepts that his diagnosis may help to explain some of his actions, but he does not wish to hide behind it.'
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In front of everybody, the judges, the crew, the other contestants... Gregg Wallace said to me, 'oh, do you work at Radio 4?' "I thought, how nice, he's doing that presenter thing, he's relaxing you. I said, 'Yes, I do work at Radio 4.' 'Do you know X?' 'Yes, I do.' He said, 'Tell her from me' I thought he was going to say hi, 'Tell her from me, she's a sexy b***h'. "There was a silence, and then I laughed awkwardly. I just remember thinking this is mad. I wish I hadn't laughed, but I did. No one said anything, and then they just went right, let's start again, and they tasted my dish. I just remember thinking, am I going mad? I'm not using the excuse, but when you've just had a baby, you do think everything is a bit mad. "I remember thinking, did I imagine that? What happened there? So I went back and I muddled through for a couple of days, and then I was eliminated. 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