TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp has accused Gregg Wallace of making inappropriate comments to her while they worked together.
On Thursday (November 28), it was announced that Wallace was stepping down from MasterChef after a series of complaints were made to the BBC.
The allegations included a pattern of inappropriate sexual comments and actions made by Wallace to 13 people who worked with him over a period of 17 years, with the corporation passing the allegations onto Wallace’s representatives shortly before they were made public.
Wallace’s lawyers said it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature, while the presenter himself posted a video on social media thanking fans for showing him support.
Today (December 1), Wallace went on to claim that the allegations of misconduct against him only come from “middle-class women of a certain age”.
His remarks have prompted a response from Allsopp, who took to X/Twitter this morning to share her own experiences of working with Wallace, where she claims he made sexually inappropriate comments to her.
“Within 1hr of meeting Gregg Walllace he told me of a sex act that he & his partner at the time enjoyed “every morning”, she’d just left the room, we were filming a pilot. Did he get off on how embarrassed I was? It was totally unprofessional, I’m a #MiddleClassWomanOfaCertainAge,” she wrote.
She went on to address why she never reported the incident, saying: “Because you feel, in no particular order, embarrassed, a prude, shocked, waiting for a male colleague to call him out, not wanting to “rock the boat”, thinking it’s better to plough on with the day, assuming you misheard/misunderstood or just don’t get the joke.”
Within 1hr of meeting Gregg Walllace he told me of a sex act that he & his partner at the time enjoyed “every morning”, she’d just left the room, we were filming a pilot. Did he get off on how embarrassed I was? It was totally unprofessional, I’m a #MiddleClassWomanOfaCertainAge
— Kirstie Allsopp (@KirstieMAllsopp) December 1, 2024
Why say nothing? Because you feel, in no particular order, embarrassed, a prude, shocked, waiting for a male colleague to call him out, not wanting to “rock the boat”, thinking it’s better to plough on with the day, assuming you misheard/misunderstood or just don’t get the joke.
— Kirstie Allsopp (@KirstieMAllsopp) December 1, 2024
Allsopp was then asked why she is only choosing to highlight the comments now, to which she responded: “Because the women, who unlike me, were brave enough to complain about it, should be supported. And anyone who thinks it’s OK needs to ask their wife if it’s OK with her if they talk about their sex lives in the office tomorrow.”
She also added that the comments were made in the green room and not on camera.
Wallace is yet to respond to these claims.
Because the women, who unlike me, were brave enough to complain about it, should be supported. And anyone who thinks it’s OK needs to ask their wife if it’s OK with her if they talk about their sex lives in the office tomorrow. https://t.co/oeOt8v0Rjt
— Kirstie Allsopp (@KirstieMAllsopp) December 1, 2024
My career was pretty solid at this point, so no, it wouldn’t have. https://t.co/ZnCMcXfdOv
— Kirstie Allsopp (@KirstieMAllsopp) December 1, 2024
A day after the initial reports, more women came forward with further allegations, with one claiming that Wallace regularly talked inappropriately about sex, domination and spanking while working on the Channel 5 show Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends in 2019.
Then, yesterday (November 30) it was reported that the BBC was made aware of allegations against the presenter in a letter sent in 2022, but no further investigation took place.
The letter in question outlined a “pattern of behaviour” which “clearly fails to meet the sexual harassment and bullying standards that prohibit ‘unwelcome sexual advances and sexual innuendo’.”
Dawn Elrick, a TV director and producer, sent the letter on behalf of the women who had been in touch with her. She says she was told by the corporation that individuals would have to make their own separate complaints.
“This is very tricky for freelancers to do without identifying themselves, which makes life extremely tricky in the freelance world,” she said. “Placing the onus on individual employees/freelancers means they failed to see that I was trying to tell them there was a pattern of alleged behaviour.”
Gregg Wallace CREDIT: BBC/Shine TV
Elrick claims the fact that no action was taken as a result of the letter shows that there is “no satisfactory means of reporting sexual harassment and bullying within the TV industry”.
The BBC told the Observer: “If issues are raised with us we have robust processes in place to deal with them swiftly and appropriately. We will always listen if people want to make us aware of something directly. It would be inappropriate for us to comment on anything that could form part of [MasterChef production company] Banijay’s ongoing investigation or otherwise influence it.”
Other claims against Wallace include comments about colleagues’ sexual orientation, their partners and coming out of a bathroom topless during a shoot.
Rod Stewart also came forward with allegations against Wallace, calling him a “tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully” and claiming 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.
Wallace has not responded to Stewart’s claims.
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.
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