Gregg Wallace: I was groped on MasterChef
The 60-year-old presenter further alleged he was accused of wrongdoing by women with an 'agenda' against him and said he had little interest in returning to television although he feared for his financial future.
In an interview with The Sun he said he believed the complaints procedure needed to be overhauled following the issues he faced on the BBC show.
'The whole complaints procedure needs to be readdressed – there are huge problems with it as things stand,' Wallace said.
'Being on MasterChef was brilliant but I had so many bad experiences on that show too.
'Had I wanted to raise any complaints, I'd have had the decency to speak to that person directly. Privately, not publicly.
'My God, can you imagine the complaints I could have made? Have you got any idea of the sexual references made to me on a daily basis?
'How many times I've been touched by women wanting a selfie? How many times I've been groped? How many times suggestive comments have been made to me? How many female contestants have said inappropriate things on MasterChef?
'It wouldn't even cross my mind though. Now, I'm not suggesting that groping is right, but it was happening to me on a regular basis. It was just extraordinary.'
'I don't want anything to do with BBC'
Wallace claimed that some women were 'weaponising' their dislike of him although he believed genuine whistleblowers must be protected.
On being asked whether he planned to watch the new series of Masterchef he said: 'No, no, no, no.
'I'm hurt. I don't want anything to do with telly. I don't want anything to do with the BBC.'
Wallace added he was pleased for the contestants that the latest series of MasterChef, which he starred in alongside John Torode, would be screened following confirmation from the production company Banijay.
Wallace, speaking from his home in Kent, has confirmed that he is considering suing the BBC after hiring top litigation lawyer Dan Morrison due to what he believes is their 'unfair' treatment of him.
The 2010 Equalities Act sets out that employers are duty-bound to protect those with disabilities, including autism, which Wallace was originally diagnosed with in January.
Wallace, who was awarded an MBE for services to food and charity in 2022, admitted he fears losing the honour after 45 out of 83 allegations were upheld against him following a report into his behaviour by law firm Lewis Silkin.
He has since taken on the role of a personal trainer for the over-50s since being sacked from his reported £400,000-a-year TV role.
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