Warning: This article contains distressing content
More women have come forward with allegations of historical misconduct by TV host Gregg Wallace.
Yesterday (November 28), it was announced that Wallace was stepping down from MasterChef after a series of complaints were made to the BBC.
The corporation sent a letter to Wallace’s representatives earlier this week, setting out allegations of inappropriate sexual comments by 13 people who worked with him across a range of shows over a 17-year period.
Wallace’s lawyers said it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
In a video posted Instagram last night, Wallace also said: “I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reaching out and showing their support. It’s good of you – thank you very much.”
Now, more women have spoken to BBC News about the allegations, with one of them claiming that Wallace regularly talked about sex, domination and spanking while working on the Channel 5 show, Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends in 2019, adding: “[It] was highly inappropriate.”
The woman – who was not named in the report – said he also constantly made comments about her sexual orientation, including when he met her partner.
Gregg Wallace CREDIT: BBC/Shine TV/Jack Barnes
“I date women and Gregg Wallace was fascinated by that,” she went on before adding that he asked her if she was “sure” she didn’t want to date men.
Another woman, who worked on the BBC’s Eat Well For Less TV show with Wallace in 2019, alleged that he would constantly say inappropriate things to her, such as making comments that his wife was only two years older than her.
“It made me uncomfortable,” she added. “What am I meant to say in response to that?”
On another occasion, she claims that she had to go to Wallace’s car to sort out his parking ticket for him and when she asked him if that was OK, he allegedly responded: “You can come to my car, but can you handle the fact everyone will think you just got off with a celebrity?”
In a separate incident, she and another female colleague both claim that Wallace came out of a bathroom topless in front of them once during a shoot and asked them to take his coffee order.
Her colleague said: “[Wallace’s] behaviour isn’t acceptable. To not only continue to put women in these scenarios but to continue publicly platforming him is a disgrace to our industry standards.”
Greg Wallace in 2016. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Another young female worker also spoke about two experiences with the TV host while filming Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends, in 2019.
In the first incident, she alleged that Wallace took out his phone and showed her photos of a woman in her underwear, when they were travelling together by car. On another occasion, she said they had just finished filming in Italy and she took him back to his hotel room.
She went on to claim that he started showing her his outfits for the next day, and then took off his top and said “let me give you a fashion show”. She alleged that a male colleague was initially in the room, but he then left, leaving her alone with Wallace.
“It’s weird to be alone in a room with a topless stranger,” she added.
Yesterday, Rod Stewart also called Wallace a “tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully” and alleged that he “humiliated my wife when she was on the show (Celebrity MasterChef), but you had that bit cut out didn’t you?” Penny Lancaster, Stewart’s wife, appeared on the celebrity spin-off of MasterChef in 2021.
For more help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
The post Gregg Wallace: More women come forward with misconduct testimony about TV host appeared first on NME.
