Gregg Wallace tipped for huge show with BBC's rival after hiring new management
Former MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has "quietly" parted ways with his former agent, Dylan Hearn. He's now represented by John Miles, who is known for taking on clients who find themselves in tricky situations.
Sources said that Bristol-based Miles, who also represents Graziano di Prima, Martin Bashir, Noel Edmonds and Nick Knowles - among others - is said to have looked after the MasterChef star's interests "for some months". One source said: "Gregg was quietly dumped by his former agent and has since been signed up by John, who knows what he's doing when it comes to fallouts with the BBC, in particular."
They added: "He's looked after many people who've found themselves battling in pretty intense situations. Don't be surprised if Gregg suddenly turns up on I'm a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here. He's got a lot of beans to spill."
A potential stint on I'm A Celebrity would see Gregg, 60, follow in the footsteps of restaurant critic Grace Dent, who competed on the show in 2023. Grace withdrew from the ITV reality TV show after just over a week in camp.
More recently, Grace was last year named as Gregg's replacement on Celebrity MasterChef following his exit. She will appear alongside returning host John Torode, who had fronted the culinary show with Gregg since 2006.
It was announced last year that Gregg would step away from the BBC 's MasterChef whilst its production company Banijay UK reviewed historical misconduct complaints, said to be from across a range of shows. As reported at the time, he said through a lawyer: "It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature."
Earlier this week, it was reported that Gregg had been fired from MasterChef after a year-long investigation into the allegations. He issued a lengthy statement on Tuesday in which he claimed that he has been exonerated of "all the serious allegations which made headlines last year" but apologised after saying that he was found "primarily guilty of inappropriate language".
Gregg said that he has been cleared by the Silkin report of the "most serious and sensational accusations" made against him and accused the BBC of "peddling sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories". He apologised for the inappropriate language which the report found him "primarily guilty" of between 2005 and 2018 though.
He also said in the statement: "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.
"My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of Master Chef. 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."
A BBC spokesperson told the Mirror at the time: "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."
It's understood that Banijay will be releasing the report and that the BBC did not fire Gregg as the corporation does not employ him. He was instead reportedly employed by Banijay.
Amid the news of his departure from MasterChef, it was reported that Gregg is facing fresh misconduct claims from 50 people. The presenter is said to have denied all allegations.
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