Gregg Wallace has issued a public apology, after telling fans that complaints made against him were made by “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age.” Taking to Instagram on Monday, the presenter – who is being investigated for inappropriate behaviour – shared a new video.
“I want to apologise for any offence that I caused with my post yesterday and any upset I may have caused to a lot of people,” he began.
“I wasn’t in a good headspace when I posted it, I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, I felt very alone, under siege yesterday when I posted it. It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out, now while this investigation is underway. I hope you understand and I do hope you will accept this apology.”
Gregg, 60, is currently facing allegations from 13 people across a range of shows over 17 years. His lawyers stated that “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”.
Several TV figures, including Kirsty Wark and Kirstie Allsopp, have spoken out about their experiences with Gregg. According to the former, Gregg made several “sexualised” jokes on the set of Celebrity MasterChef in 2011, making those around him “uncomfortable”.
Meanwhile, Kirstie – the co-host of Location, Location, Location – took to X, tweeting: “Within 1 hour of meeting Gregg Wallace he told me of a sex act that he and 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,” she continued. “I’m a #MiddleClassWomanOfaCertainAge.”
Kirstie’s comments were penned in response to a post published by Gregg on Sunday. “Apparently now, I’m reading in the paper, there’s been 13 complaints in that time. In the newspaper, I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age, just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isn’t right,” he’d said over the weekend.
© Shutterstock“In 20 years, over 20 years of television, can you imagine how many women, female contestants on MasterChef, have made sexual remarks, or sexual innuendo? Can you imagine?”
He claimed that “absolutely none” of the staff on his other shows had complained.
With Gregg under investigation by MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK, he has been forced to step away from the reality show. His co-stars are yet to publicly comment on the news.
© ShutterstockIn the meantime, Banijay UK has released an official statement to clear up any questions about Gregg’s exit. “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,” it began.
“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.”
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