Gregg Wallace BANNED from BBC in scathing letter accusing presenter of using autism as excuse amid sex misconduct claims
The report concludes that
Advertisement
3
Gregg Wallace was officially fired by the BBC today
Credit: Paul Edwards
3
'Learned behaviour' from his greengrocer days was given as the reason for his bad behaviour
Credit: BBC
3
Allegations against the Masterchef star date back to 2017
Credit: Olivia West
The findings, seen by the presenter, also references
Last night a source said: 'Gregg received his letter telling him his Masterchef job was gone and that, effectively, his 21 year tenure at the BBC is also over.
"He's obviously in a
"'Learned behaviour' - presumably from his years down the markets as a greengrocer - was given as a main factor for his inappropriate actions and language.
Advertisement
Read more Showbiz
"But given that a different production first raised concerns about his neurodivergence in 2018, and the word 'odd' also appears through the
'The report states the company has a duty of care towards both him and the public - as well as contributors and crew - and that it is clear he 'struggles to distinguish the boundaries between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour.' They therefore say they cannot guarantee a safe working environment if he is on a show.
'He is really angry the complaints against him came before he was put on a course in 2019. He therefore feels they are discriminating against his autism; that effectively they cannot accommodate a disabled person.'
The Sun can reveal Gregg's clinical team proposed clear accommodations,
Advertisement
Most read in Celebrity
Breaking
He believes the BBC have chosen to ignore this.
This latest development comes after this newspaper revealed on Tuesday that the star was to be fired, with the
The star has taken on bullish lawyer Dan Morrison - the man who represented Nigel Farage against NatWest.
He could now take Banijay and the BBC to tribunal.
Advertisement
Gregg has hosted Masterchef alongside John Torode since 2005 and has also fronted other BBC programmes including Inside the Factory and Supermarket Secrets.
In late 2024, it was reported that the BBC had been made aware of complaints as far back as 2017, while it was claimed that a letter had been sent to the broadcaster in 2022 stating that women had been made to feel 'uncomfortable' in his presence.
However, he has been cleared of a number of the most serious allegations, including those against high profile complainants including Kirsty Wark and Penny Lancaster.
While Gregg angrily slammed the BBC in
Advertisement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Princess Andre opens up on Katie Price's war with ex Peter and why she was ‘never' going to invite mum to birthday party
PRINCESS Andre has opened up on Katie Price's war with her ex-Peter Andre and why her mum was "never" going to be invited to her 18th birthday party. It comes as Princess and Katie are currently navigating a tense patch in their relationship, as exclusively revealed by The Sun. 5 Princess Andre has opened up about why her mum wasn't invited to her 18th birthday bash Credit: Aimee Rose McGhee/Dave Benett/Ge 5 Katie previously claimed that she was snubbed from her daughter's birthday party Credit: Getty 5 Princess also gave an insight into her mum's war with dad Peter Andre Credit: Splash 5 Princess and mum Katie have suffered a rift over her ITV2 series Credit: Instagram/Princess_andre There was a big fall out after Katie claimed she wasn't allowed to go to Princess' 18th birthday party, hosted by her ex, and her daughter's dad, Peter Andre. Now Princess has spoken out about this, and explained her side of the story. Speaking to The Guardian, ITV's The Princess Diaries star, simply said it was because her parents, "don't like each other,'. The article then confirmed that Katie wasn't invited to the birthday dinner organised by Peter, but that was always the plan. Read More about Princess PRICE IS WRONG The secret rift tearing Katie Price & Princess apart revealed Explaining further, Princess said: 'It would be quite strange for my mum and dad to be in it (the birthday dinner) at the same time, just because that's never been the case in my life since they split up.'' It was then revealed in the article how Princess has always spent part of her birthday with each parent. BIRTHDAY BLUES Princess turned 18 back in June, and at the time Katie claimed she wasn't invited because she had been banned from appearing in The Princess Diaries. Speaking on her The Katie Price Show podcast at the time, she said: "Everyone knows she's doing this documentary - and I'm not in it. "Certain people don't think it's good for Princess to be seen with me. Certain people that used to look after me." Her sister Sophie chipped in: "You aren't on brand Katie. You are too risky Katie that's why." Katie then said: "It's pathetic. I'm her mother. "I'm just saying, Princess was like 'I'm having a party'. And I wasn't invited because it was for 'filming.'" Addressing this, Princess told The Guardian: "There was actually no decision, really. "But because I'm living with Dad at the moment, he was in it more.' HEALING THE RIFT Meanwhile, just yesterday, Princess reunited with her mum for the first time since their 'rift' was uncovered. The duo shared a loved-up selfie together as Princess enjoyed a cosy night-in with her mum and Katie's boyfriend, JJ Slater. The mother and daughter were understood to be locked in a secret feud after Katie revealed she had been banned from appearing in Princess' solo reality TV show, The Princess Diaries. Katie went on to allege that Princess' management team, the same as her dad's Peter Andre, had advised that it was best for Princess to not be seen with her mother publicly. But it seems as though they have put all the warring behind them for a bonding evening together. Princess and Katie looked happier than ever in a brand new selfie which was uploaded to Princess' Snapchat account. She simply captioned it "mumzy" as the pair smiled together. 5 Katie previously talked about not being invited to Princess' party Credit: Getty Sophie added: "Oh of course it was! I wonder what restaurant did that for free." Continuing the rant, Katie said: "The fact is there's stuff my daughter is doing and I'm not allowed to be seen at any of it." The Sun revealed how the documentary has caused a huge rift between Princess and her famous mum. Katie previously vented about those working with her daughter after The Sun revealed her secret heartache about being cut out of her TV show. She even vowed not to watch her daughter's reality show, after feeling left out of such an important thing in Princess' life. Earlier this week, Katie shared a cryptic message saying "your mum is not your enemy". Sharing a quote on her Instagram stories, Katie urged that as a mum she is "not trying to control" but instead "trying to protect" The quote also acknowledged how she "may not be perfect" but is "the only woman in this world" who wants the best for her children.
The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
I snared evil ‘Manson-like' landlord who sealed tenant in concrete tomb after warped ‘disciples' lured him to his death
WHEN trusting Christophe Borgye took delivery of a cement mixer, on behalf of his landlord, he was effectively signing his own death warrant. The cement would later be used to encase Christophe's body in a concrete tomb in the shed of his garden - after his evil landlord and two housemates lured him to a 'kill room' they'd secretly set up in his kitchen. 12 Flight attendant Christophe Borgye was bludgeoned to death by his housemates in 2009 Credit: Handout 12 Dominik Kocher was the ringleader of the trio of murderers Credit: Cheshire Police 12 Christophe was buried in a concrete 'tomb' in the garden shed Credit: Amazon Prime They then beat the flight attendant with hammers and stabbed him with knives at his rented terraced home in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, before hiding his bound-up body in the makeshift tomb. His body may have been left there to this day – unbeknown to the unsuspecting neighbours and the house's new occupants - if it weren't for an extraordinary confession and painstaking police work that helped convict the three twisted perpetrators Dominik Kocher, Sebastian Bendou and Manuel Wagner. The complex case, which spanned over nine years, is laid bare for the first time in new documentary Murder in Concrete. The case began to unravel in April 2013, four years after Christophe was reported missing, when one of the murderers, Bendou, travelled from Dumfries in Scotland back to Ellesmere Port and called police in a confused state confessing to the crime in broken English and French. Read more on murder cases 'MUST BE NAMED' Harvey Willgoose's mum says killer should be named when he's sentenced Anton Sullivan, now a retired inspector, was on duty that day at another station but was called in to help as he was known to be fluent in French. 'Bendou looked very dishevelled, very confused,' Anton told The Sun. 'I introduced myself and I said 'Right, tell me in French'. He was quite relieved that I spoke French and started telling me he'd been involved in killing someone and hiding the body. 'Initially he didn't give a lot of detail, he gave a name, a place and a time. 'Looking at the state of him, how he presented and the fact he was confused, of course I had my doubts. Later on it was established he had mental health problems, so it could have been quite easy to dismiss. 'But I did think, let's just check to see if there's any veracity to any of the comments he's making. Why I want to meet my monster dad Ian Huntley 'I just felt there was something in what he was telling me, call it a gut feeling or a sixth sense.' Colleagues ran checks and found Bendou's story correlated with the disappearance of Ryanair flight attendant Christophe, who had been reported missing by a colleague on May 2009. 'I wrote in my pocketbook, in French, a record of the conversation I'd had with him then, as is standard practice, I gave him the book and I said, 'Can you just sign here to confirm that this is what you said?' 'At that point he read it and he said, 'I'm not signing anything until my solicitor gets here'. He said that with a calm and detached air about him and I thought, 'There is something to this now'.' The case was passed over to Detective Steve Curry on the murder team, who told The Sun: 'I've got to be honest, when the logs hit our office the next morning and we spoke to Anton, we thought, 'Really?' 'When you're on a murder squad you rarely get someone banging on your door saying, 'Can I show you where I've buried a body?'' 12 Steve Curry, who was senior investigative officer, next to the shed where the tomb was built Credit: Supplied 12 The concrete block where victim Christophe was entombed Credit: Amazon Prime 12 Anton Sullivan, retired inspector at Cheshire Police, used his French skills to help crack the case Credit: Supplied Nevertheless Steve headed straight out to the two addresses on the same street in Ellesmere Port – and was horrified by what he found. 'The first address didn't look like the kind of place a body could be buried," said Steve. 'So I headed to the second and they had a brick built shed at the bottom of the garden, I went into the neighbour's gardens and looked at their sheds, then back to that one and it was clear there was a hand built brick-made 'structure' inside the shed. It didn't fit with the rest of the street. 'We brought Bendou down and, handcuffed to a cop, he went straight to the shed and pointed it out. 'Then we started the three and a half day excavation of Christophe's body from there. 'It was really eerie. Even before we started digging, we brought in experts, forensic archaeologists and entomologists, experts in cement, experts in brick. We don't really 100 per cent know if he was still alive when they dumped them in there. Retired detective Steve Curry 'It was a baking hot day in spring and when we first cracked open the concrete, the first thing that got you was the smell because he'd been airtight for all those years. 'The cement had set in around him, so it was a personal tomb around him. 'Clearly what they'd done is built a box with bricks then after attacking him, they'd wrapped him up in his quilt - he was still in his football shirt, jogging bottoms and flip flops. They put a pillow in there and threw their murder weapons in – knives and a hammer. 'Then they tied him into a big ball with bungee cords and dropped him into this tomb and just poured cement over the top, skimmed it off and left him in there. 'I mean, it must have been horrific. We don't really 100 per cent know if he was still alive when they dumped them in there. 'We wanted to X-ray the bundle as a whole unit. So Christophe was transported to the Royal Liverpool Hospital and, lo and behold, you could see the full form of a human, along with the knife and the hammer and everything they had thrown in there, on the X-ray.' Tracing family Anton was then asked to use his French skills to track down victim Christophe's family in France, who at the time – thanks to a forged email by Kocher – believed he had gone travelling to China with a girl he met. Using his knowledge of France he eventually managed to contact police in the village the family had moved to, and spoke to Christophe's dad Yves, a former police officer in Paris who incidentally had been one of the officers at the scene of Princess Diana's car crash. 'Of course it was a difficult conversation to have, I didn't know Yves very well then, but he was very matter of fact. He was recently retired police officer, he'd done 30 years as a cop in Paris, so although the news was devastating, because of his professionalism, he kept calm. I explained what information we had. 12 The horrific crime was carried out on this street Credit: Supplied 12 Sebastian Bendou cracked and confessed the murder to police Credit: Cheshire Police 12 Manuel Wagner was freed then re-arrested in 2015 when new evidence came to light Credit: Cheshire Police 'At this point we haven't confirmed this was Christophe, so we had to start the process of getting a formal identification, which again proved a challenge because there were no dental records, there were no medical records, we had no DNA, there was no crime scene at that stage that had usable DNA. 'The offenders had systematically erased every aspect of his life, including his physical belongings, so we had nothing to go on.' Eventually Christophe's family members came over to the UK and used their DNA to confirm the body was his. As the police investigation unfolded, more sordid details of his murder emerged. Horror kill room The calculated killers had built a kill-room in the kitchen, covering all the sides with plastic and tarpaulin under the pretext they were deep cleaning, then lured Christophe downstairs to help. Once defenceless Christophe was down on his knees cleaning, they rained hammer blows down on him followed by knife wounds. 'The attack was absolutely brutal and then they've bagged him up and wrapped him up like a big ball of rubbish. And they clearly already had this tomb built,' Steve said. 'They've bought the knives with a load of shampoo and stuff to clean themselves up after the attack. This is all very, very calculated and pre-meditated.' Through house to house enquiries, police began to unravel the strange dynamic between Kocher - the ringleader, who lived on one side of the road with his family - and the other perpetrators Bendou and Wagner, and victim Christophe, who lived across the road. Christophe and the other two men had their wages directly paid into Kocher's bank account, and Kocher took charge of paying their bills and bringing them food. 'It was very weird how Kocher was controlling all the three of them,' Steve said. 'It was almost like they were his slaves. He took their wages, put them in the house, paid the bills and food was taken across to them. 12 Anton Sullivan's French skills helped to crack the case Credit: Supplied 12 Scenes from the case are reenacted in new documentary Murder in Concrete Credit: Supplied 12 Reconstruction of remorseless ringleader Kocher in the dock during his trial Credit: Supplied 'But essentially they were paying for Kocher's house and living expenses too. "He was a conman, he coerced money out of his football team, he spun this yarn about himself having cancer as a sympathy thing. 'We just didn't understand why people were falling for it. You knew he was lying because his lips were moving. That's the best way to spell it out. He had a knack of manipulating people to his will. 'After he killed Christophe he even used his card to buy his wife an anniversary card. That kind of sums up what kind of a person he was. What kind of sick b*****d does that?' But how did Kocher persuade Bendou and Wagner to go through with the horrific crime against defenceless Christophe, who by this time had been their housemate for 18 months? 'Like Charles Manson' 'I always used to think it's a bit like Charlie Manson. How did he persuade these educated young people to commit such horrible crimes?,' Anton said. 'It reminded me to a degree of that. You've got Kocher who's clearly very manipulative and if you look at all of the people that we interviewed, he comes across as plausible, he's got a bit of a charisma about him and people are drawn in.' Kocher and Wagner were cousins, but had lived together from a young age so were like brothers. Bendou knew the pair from school in France and after getting into trouble as a young adult, had been taken under Kocher's wing. Wagner and Bendou were described as 'doing anything Kocher told them'. Cristophe came into the group by "pure chance". After working in Ireland, he got a job with Ryanair in Liverpool and moved to the city, initially sofa surfing. But a colleague at the airport passed him Kocher's number. 'Kocher says to Christophe, 'Look, you get the best room in the house with an en-suite, you just pay your money into my bank, so you don't have to mess around with English bank accounts because you can't trust them," says Anton. 'I will cook for you, clean for you. I'll have meals ready for you when you come in, all you have to do is work, enjoy your life, travel, do whatever you want and I will provide anything that you need. 'And Christophe, being relative naive, probably thought, 'What nice people'. When you speak to his family, that was a trait of Christophe. He took people on face value, he took them at their word, he trusted people. 'For 18 months everything goes swimmingly but at some point Christophe decides he wants to move to Brussels and starts making arrangements to leave. Christophe took people on face value, he took them at their word, he trusted people. Retired inspector Anton Sullivan 'However for Kocher that means having to explain where all his money's gone because Christophe was actually paying for everything in that house. He was paying the rent, he was paying the council tax, the electricity bills, Kocher was using the victim's money to fund his own home and his life." Christophe was due to fly to Dublin to meet with his company's HR department on April 26, 2009. The brutal attack occurred three days before, on April 23 - but it had been a long time in the planning. 'If you look at the chronology, the plan to deal with Christophe in Kocher's mind had started some time before," says Anton. "He had been drip feeding Wagner and Bendou a story that 'This guy's evil, he's working for the authorities, he's working as a spy for the Americans and for the French, he's got an alter ego' – all false allegations of course. 'You can convince anybody to believe anything if you drip feed them enough information.' Steve recalls how some 'lucky' detective work uncovered more evidence against the three – including tracing the knives used in the attack to the local Asda who painstakingly went through files to find Kocher's card being used to buy three of the exact same knives. A neighbour recalled seeing the three men take a large package of some kind to the shed, from her window, around the time of Christophe's disappearance. Then in July 2013, after a painstaking first investigation, Kocher and Bendou were charged with murder and Wagner with assisting an offender and preventing a lawful burial. Anton spent every day in the trial, translating everything into French and relaying it to Christophe's family. 'No justice' Bendou and Kocher were convicted of murder but disappointingly Wagner was cleared and set free. Anton and Steve said they were 'absolutely gutted' that only two of the three were convicted as 'everything pointed to three men being involved'. Anton recalls Christophe's sister Aurelie looking at him in court after the verdict and saying in French, 'Wagner got away with it. How's that justice?' Over the months that followed, Aurelie's comments began to 'gnaw' away at him. 'It was a conversation I had in a pub one night with one of my colleagues from the team saying 'This isn't right. I wonder if given the relationship I've developed with Bendou, he can give us something that might allow us to have another crack at Wagner''. 'So we then had to persuade the senior officers that this was of value because these inquiries take tremendous amounts of time, resources and money. 'And thankfully Cheshire Police gave us a second shot.' Prison confession Anton went to see Bendou in prison and tried to persuade him to tell the whole story in its entirety. 'At first he said he would talk if he could get something out of it – like a transfer to France so he could be closer to his family,' Anton said. 'But I said 'No you either tell us because it's the right thing to do or you don't'. 'And he agreed, he allowed us to access his records from the law firm that represented him. 'And we start to learn things about Christophe's murder that we did not know during the initial investigation. 'Bendou describes in graphic detail how he had hit the victim's head with a hammer but the hammer had slipped in his hand with the blood and it was the claw end that went into his skull. I remember the room closing in on me and I started feeling a bit queasy. Retired inspector Anton Sullivan 'You could see distinctive hammer claw injuries in Christophe's skull. 'The first one, they miss and it hits the Formica top that later panicked Kocher painted over. Then we go back and find the exact divot in the Formica that forensically matches the hammer. 'Then he tells us when he pulled the the hammer out of Christophe's skull, because it was stuck there was a jet of blood that went all over the walls and the ceiling. That's why Kocher decided to paint the kitchen red because he thought it would help mask the colour. 'Also as he's pulling the claw out of Christophe's skull, Wagner is looking over his shoulder because they're in this killing frenzy, and he cracks Wagner on the side of the face by accident with the blunt end of the hammer, giving him a big bruise.' Investigators started going through Facebook pictures and found a selfie Wagner took while he was working in a bar at Cheshire Oaks, sporting a big bruise on the side of his face, which was verified and used as evidence in the second trial. Anton, who had by this point become close with Christophe's father Yves, and his brother and sister Noel and Aurelie, said hearing Bendou talking so nonchalantly about the savage murder made him feel sick to his stomach. 'From a personal note, it's really difficult as police officer deal with an offender and not be disgusted, we're humans first and police officers second,' he said. Timeline of the Christophe Borgye case The case was one of the most chilling and unusual Cheshire police had ever dealt with, here is a timeline of key events: April 2009: Christophe Borgye is killed by three men and his body is sealed in a concrete tomb under a shed. May 2009: A colleague reports his disappearance. A housemate, Dominik Kocher, sends a fake email to Borgye's family to make them believe he is safe. November 2012: The three men involved in the murder, Dominik Kocher, Sebastian Bendou, and Manuel Wagner, move from Ellesmere Port to Dumfries, Scotland. April 13, 2013: Sebastian Bendou confesses to the crime to the police, initially claiming he acted alone in self-defence. April 17, 2013: Wagner and Kocher are questioned as witnesses. May 2013: Bendou changes his statement, revealing Kocher's and Wagner's involvement. Both are re-arrested on suspicion of murder. July 2013: Kocher and Bendou are charged with murder, and Wagner is charged with two lesser offenses. March 2014: Kocher is convicted of murder. May 2014: Bendou is convicted of murder and sentenced to life with a minimum of 14 years. June 2014: An appeal to increase Kocher's sentence is rejected; he is to serve life with a minimum of 23 years. September 2016: Wagner is charged again with murder. June 12, 2017: Wagner's trial begins. June 28, 2017: Wagner is convicted of murder and given a life sentence with a minimum of 16 years. 'I remember sitting in the room as Bendou described murdering Christophe in graphic detail and by this point I know his family and it's heartbreaking to listen to. 'You've got to have this professional attitude, but I remember the room closing in on me and I started feeling a bit queasy. 'I said to my colleague who's a highly experienced murder investigator ''How do you sit there and listen to that?' 'He said 'I've dealt with death all my life in the job but I've never had anybody sit there and tell me, as if I'm telling you how to make a cake, how they killed somebody with a hammer and a knife and how they coerced him into being in that position. 'It's actually quite unusual to get somebody to openly admit how they killed somebody.' Eventually, the exhaustive second investigation concluded and Wagner was convicted of murder and jailed for 16 years on June 28, 2017. The jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict. Christophe's three murderers were all finally in prison. Steve, who has a career spanning 30 years of murders across London and the North West, says it's one of the most unusual cases he's worked on. 'As a standalone single victim, what Christophe went through is absolutely horrendous. Plus the dynamic between the three of them is just definitely the weirdest thing I've ever been involved in," he said. For Anton, he was just glad the family finally had closure. 'I always felt that this was a story that needed to be told so that there was some legacy for the family, for the victim, and that they were remembered," he said. 'It's a case that will stay with me for a long time. I've left the police this year and I retired in order to help tell this story. 'If it hadn't have been for Bendou coming forward, I think Christophe would still be there to this day, I'm convinced of it. 'And if somebody had written this story as a drama purely fictitious, you'd say 'No it's too far-fetched, I don't get the plot line'. 'Truth is always stranger than fiction and in 32 years of policing I've seen the worst of people and I've seen the best of people and this case went from one polar opposite to the other. 'But the stoicism and the strength of Christophe's family and the lengths which police officers dedicated their time and effort to seeking justice really stay with me from this case." Murder in Concrete will be streaming on Prime Video from August 31
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Mystery as Ozzy Osbourne BBC documentary is pulled from schedules at last minute – hours before it's due to air
The documentary was due to land on screens on Monday 18 August but has now been replaced STRANGE SHAKE UP Mystery as Ozzy Osbourne BBC documentary is pulled from schedules at last minute – hours before it's due to air A BBC documentary about Ozzy Osbourne has been shrouded in mystery after being pulled from schedules at the last minute, hours before it was due to air. Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home was an intimate film that followed the final three years of Ozzy's life, as he and Sharon planned a return home after 25 years in LA. 4 A BBC documentary about Ozzy Osbourne has been shrouded in mystery after being pulled from schedules at the last minute Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk 4 Ozzy spent his final months filming the documentary about his family's return to the UK Credit: @RossHalfin Advertisement It would also show Ozzy preparing for the ultimate farewell gig. The documentary was due to land on screens on Monday 18 August, but now appears to have been pulled from schedules, and replaced. It was due to air on BBC One and iPlayer at 9pm this evening. The documentary has been replaced by Fake or Fortune, with a spokesperson for the BBC telling the Mirror that the film has 'moved in the schedules' and 'new premiere details will be shared in due course.' Advertisement Ozzy spent his final months filming the documentary about his family's return to the UK. The BBC One docuseries, which would have featured the rock icon's wife Sharon and their children Kelly and Jack, was tragically never finished. Ozzy died aged 76 "surrounded by love", just weeks after he took to the stage one final time with his band mates at Villa Park in Birmingham. His doctors had finally allowed him to travel home and perform at the Birmingham gig. Advertisement A source said the star received singing lessons "almost every day" to gear him up for what would be his final performance. Despite being in "constant pain", he was determined to play. Ozzy Osbourne's cause of death revealed as Black Sabbath legend is given brilliant job title on official certificate The source said: 'The filming was on and off again so many times, mainly because of Ozzy's health.' A source told The Sun: 'After delaying their big move back to Welders in the UK for almost two years because of Ozzy's health, his doctors had finally signed off his ability to travel to the UK and perform at the farewell gig. 'Ozzy was having singing lessons almost every day in preparation for his last show wanting to go out with a bang. Advertisement 'He was in constant pain and had nurses tending to him around the clock but was determined to play this last show. 'His determination came from wanting to play for the fans one last time who gave him the amazing life he and Sharon have enjoyed together. 'Despite his ailments, Ozzy was still very much all there. Sharp-witted and loved to crack a joke. 'After the show, Ozzy was looking forward to fully retiring at Welders with Sharon, spending their last days together in Buckinghamshire. 'Despite all their well known ups and downs over the years, the love Sharon and Ozzy share was strong until the end.' Advertisement FINAL GIG The Sun was there to witness the final show-stopping spectacular. On the night of his famous last gig, Ozzy opened up to the emotional crowd. 'I don't know what to say, man, I've been laid up for like six years," he confessed. "You have no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart. "You're all f****** special. Let's go crazy, come on." Advertisement He started the set by saying: "Let me hear you. Are you ready? Let the madness begin!" Later, he said: "It's so good to be on this f****** stage. You have no idea. "I f****** love you all. Let me see your hands in the air. You are the best, each and every one of you. God bless you all." The rocker sang five songs in his own set, with fans waving torches from their phones during Mama, I'm Coming Home. He finished his performance with Crazy Train, before confetti rained over a packed Villa Park. Advertisement After a short break, he re-entered the stage to join the rest of Black Sabbath for the first time in 20 years. The band performed some of their greatest hits, ending with a rendition of Paranoid. In his last ever interview, the heavy metal icon said his "final encore" meant "everything". He told RadioX: "It's my final encore; it's my chance to say thank you to my fans for always supporting me and being there for me." Speaking of his fans, Ozzy said: "I hope they feel appreciated for how much they mean to me." Advertisement "I couldn't have done my final show anywhere else. I had to go back to the beginning," he added when talking about performing in Birmingham. He lovingly recalled childhood memories of watching football at the Aston Villa stadium. He explained: "Every Saturday when there was a match, I would go out with my friends and stand outside the Villa asking people for a shilling to watch their car." Meanwhile his daughter Kelly revealed that she is engaged to her boyfriend Sid Wilson. She shared a video of the moment Sid popped the question backstage at her father's final ever Black Sabbath gig. Advertisement 4 Despite being in "constant pain", he was determined to play Credit: Reuters
