Gregg Wallace‘s shocking comments about flirting at work have resurfaced amid the news he’s stepped down from MasterChef over allegations of misconduct.
The presenter, 60, will stake a step back from the BBC show – which he’s hosted for 19 years – while complaints from 13 people about historical allegations of misconduct including alleged inappropriate sexual comments and jokes are investigated.
And amid the investigation, a 14-word statement Gregg previously said in a 2020 interview has come to light, with the star suggesting at the time that while it may be difficult to ‘chat up’ anyone at work, he enjoyed the unregulated nature of Twitter in which one could freely flirt with others.
Speaking to Kate Thornton on her White Wine Question Time podcast, Gregg shared: ‘You can’t chat anyone up at work because the HR department would sack you.’
The TV personality, who met his wife Anne-Marie Sterpini on Twitter back in 2013, went on to say: ‘What I like about Twitter is that it is not a dating site. You can just have friendly chats with people.’
Anne-Marie, who is more than 20 years Gregg’s junior, had initially contacted Gregg to ask for recipe advice, with the pair going on to hit it off, becoming engaged a year later.
Gregg Wallace ‘s shocking comments about flirting at work have resurfaced amid the news he’s stepped down from MasterChef over allegations of misconduct
![The presenter, 60, will stake a step back from the BBC show - which he's hosted for 19 years - while complaints from 13 people about historical allegations of misconduct including alleged inappropriate sexual comments and jokes are investigated [pictured with John Torode]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/11/28/14/92588735-14137171-image-a-54_1732803911963.jpg)
The presenter, 60, will stake a step back from the BBC show – which he’s hosted for 19 years – while complaints from 13 people about historical allegations of misconduct including alleged inappropriate sexual comments and jokes are investigated [pictured with John Torode]
The pair married in 2016 at Hever Castle, with the couple now parents to son Sid, five.
Gregg also met his ex and third wife Heidi Brown on social media in 2009, they married in 2011 and divorced in 2012 following a three-year romance.
Gregg is being probed over inappropriate sexual comments he allegedly made to female colleagues at the BBC.
The TV chef, who has hosted the BBC cooking show alongside John Torode since 2005, was also accused of being rude and insulting to women on a different show last year.
While Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, a Celebrity Masterchef contestant in 2011, said he told ‘sexualised’ jokes during filming.
He is ‘committed to fully cooperating throughout the process’, the show’s production company Banijay UK said.
Already recorded episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals, which is currently on BBC One and featuring Wallace, will transmit as planned into December.
Banijay has not revealed the nature of the allegations, but last month it was claimed the grocer turned TV star had boasted about his sex life to a younger female BBC employee and took his top off in front of her.
Speaking to Kate Thornton on her White Wine Question Time podcast , Gregg shared: ‘You can’t chat anyone up at work because the HR department would sack you’
The TV personality, who met his wife Anne-Marie Sterpini on Twitter back in 2013, went on to say: ‘What I like about Twitter is that it is not a dating site. You can just have friendly chats with people.’
Gregg also met his ex and third wife Heidi Brown on social media in 2009, they married in 2011 and divorced in 2012 following a three-year romance (pictured in 2011)
In October Gregg vehemently denied that he had made inappropriate sexual comments towards women, declaring that he would never ‘flirt with’ or ‘hit on’ another woman and: ‘I didn’t say anything sexual’.
In a statement to the PA news agency, Banijay UK said: ‘This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows.
‘Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate.
‘While this review is underway, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully cooperating throughout the process.
‘Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.
‘Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.’
The statement added: ‘If anyone would like to talk to us or raise any issues or concerns, then they can contact [email protected] in confidence.’
The BBC has said it takes any issues that are raised with it ‘seriously’.
Gregg is being probed over inappropriate sexual comments he allegedly made to female colleagues at the BBC
in October, Gregg denied claims he boasted about his sex life to a younger female BBC employee and took his top off in front of her while filming a game show, saying he would never ‘flirt with’ or ‘hit on’ another woman
A BBC spokesperson said: ‘We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them.
‘We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
‘Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them.’
Gregg absolutely denied claims he boasted about his sex life to a younger female BBC employee and took his top off in front of her while filming a game show – saying he would never ‘flirt with’ or ‘hit on’ another woman.
Bosses at the corporation are said to have hauled the MasterChef co-host into a meeting in 2018 following allegations of ‘inappropriate sexual comments’ and told him to ‘change his behaviour’.
An insider claims Gregg brushed it off as ‘just banter’, having been reported for making ‘consistent inappropriate comments’ to the member of the production team while working on game show Impossible Celebrities.
But taking to Instagram, Wallace hit back at the allegations in an emotional video saying he was ‘madly in love’ with his wife Anna.
He said: ‘The story that’s hitting the newspapers was investigated promptly when it happened six years ago by the BBC.
‘And the outcome of that was that I hadn’t said anything sexual. I’ll need to repeat this again. I didn’t say anything sexual.
Wallace (pictured with John Torode), 60, is ‘committed to fully cooperating throughout the process’, the show’s production company Banijay UK said
The BBC has said that it will take the issues raised about Wallace ‘seriously’
‘Despite what the newspapers are suggesting nobody six years ago accused me of flirting with anybody or hitting on anybody.
‘And the reason I say this is because of my wife Anna. I have always been true to my wife Anna and have never flirted or hit on anybody in the 12 years [since] I met her and fell in love with her.
‘And it’s important that, so that people don’t misunderstand that, that I am true to my wife.’
The allegations of inappropriate comments have only now emerged amid the BBC this week launching a probe into workplace culture as bosses aim to crack down on the ‘abuse of power‘.
The insider who made the claims against Wallace, which his team says are ‘inaccurate’, raised questions as to why he was allowed to continue presenting MasterChef.
They told the Sun: ‘He is said to have been boasting about his sex life with his partner at the time.
At one point, Wallace was also accused of taking his top off in front of the woman which felt inappropriate.
The team working on the show were said to have gone to BBC bosses to complain after being left ‘mortified’ by Wallace’s alleged behaviour.
A spokesman for the BBC told The Sun: ‘Whilst we do not comment on individuals, if issues are raised they are dealt with swiftly and appropriately at the time.
‘We do not tolerate any form of inappropriate behaviour and have robust processes in place.’
