
EXCLUSIVE REVEALED: Gregg Wallace considering new career move as former MasterChef host plots lucrative secret survival plan - as he fears 'losing everything' after axing from the BBC
Source close to the star said he has vowed to relaunch himself independently on a string of digital platforms, like controversial comedian Russell Brand, who has amassed a lucrative career with 6.8m subscribers on YouTube.
Gregg, 60, is desperate to keep earning, having been side-lined since last year following a raft of allegations about his inappropriate behaviour on set at MasterChef.
A report this week substantiated 45 of the 83 allegations against him, and the BBC informed the star that it had no intention of working with him in the future.
He is now frantically seeking a new agent and planning a return to the spotlight using social media to air self-made content about food and healthy living – having watched others succeed after losing their mainstream TV work.
Gregg is said to fear financial ruin, having seen several of his businesses forced into administration with mammoth debts and he has previously admitted 'losing everything' was the worst experience of his life.
The father-of-three, who has had three costly divorces from his ex-wives, now lives in a five-bedroom farmhouse in Kent alongside three generations of his family, including his wife Anne-Marie Sterpini, in-laws and young son who suffers with autism – but has 'never been great with money' according to those who know him.
As one insider said: 'He really should take a break from the spotlight and work out for himself what has gone wrong, he might learn a bit about himself and start to recognise the mistakes he has made, but all he can think about right now is how to keep the cash rolling in.'
'Money is clearly at the very forefront of his mind – much more so than whether this is actually his own fault.
'He's telling people he needs to get straight back to work whatever it takes for financial reasons, and seems to think he can follow in the footsteps of other people who have lost prominent jobs in mainstream TV and go it alone. His biggest fear is losing everything he has worked so hard for and going bust.
'He also wants to get himself a new agent pretty quickly to land some commercial deals – he's had big endorsement arrangements in the past which have paid a fortune, but it's hard to imagine any big brand wanting to snap him up at the moment.'
Instead he is widely expected to ramp up his content on YouTube and TikTok as he pursues other revenue streams outside of mainstream broadcasting.
Wallace, who has lost five stone in recent years through diet and fitness, last week launched one-on-one coaching sessions for his fans to 'feel fitter and stronger' for £200-a-month.
Someone who has made a career on alternative media is comedian Russell Brand who is still making thousands a week, according to his biographer, despite being dropped by his agent and having his revenue streams blocked by YouTube.
The comedian was cancelled after The Sunday Times and Channel 4 revealed sexual misconduct claims in their Dispatches documentary, which Russell has strenuously denied. Russell has denied all the allegations made against him, he denies rape, assault and emotional abuse and claims all encounters were consensual.
It has been claimed that Russell is still raking it in with up to £25,000 per week coming into his coffers from 'off-grid' business ventures.
Tanith Carey, Russell Brand's first biographer, previously claimed: 'Brand may no longer be welcome on primetime TV, but even before his mainstream career was torn apart by the allegations, he was concentrating on getting a cult following on alternative social media channels where he had more control.
'Brand now has a solid and devoted social media following, many of whom aren't bothered at all by the sexual allegations - and who see them as part of the establishment's conspiracy to silence him.'
Carey also claimed that Russell was taking his career in a new direction which seems to be bringing in cash galore: 'He is finding re-branding himself as a serious revolutionary and a spiritual guru can also be lucrative.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why TV dance star made last-minute withdrawal from live show
Janette Manrara, a former Strictly Come Dancing professional, was forced to pull out of a live performance of the musical Chicago on Wednesday, 23 July. Manrara is currently starring as Roxie Hart in the UK tour of Chicago, which is performing at Blackpool's Winter Gardens. She announced on Instagram that she was "unwell" and needed to rest to recover quickly, expressing deep apologies to the audience. Manrara reassured fans that she is "on the mend" and hopes to return to the stage soon, praising the rest of the cast for their performance. Since leaving her professional dancing role on Strictly in 2021, Manrara has co-presented the spin-off show It Takes Two.


The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Spacey told actor ‘don't worry about it' after alleged assault, documents claim
Kevin Spacey allegedly sexually assaulted a young actor at a party at The Savoy hotel and then told him 'Don't worry about it', court documents for the High Court legal claim suggest. Ruari Cannon is suing Mr Spacey as well as two organisations connected to the Old Vic Theatre in London, claiming he suffered psychiatric damage as a result of sexual and emotional abuse. The 33-year-old has waived his anonymity in the claim. In court documents seen by the PA news agency, Mr Cannon alleges that Mr Spacey, who was a 'powerful figure and a world-famous actor and celebrity' at the time, assaulted him in about June 2013, when he was 'a very vulnerable young man'. Oscar-winning actor Mr Spacey has previously denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour and wrongdoing, and details of his defence are not yet available. According to the documents, filed in June, Mr Spacey was working as artistic director at the Old Vic Theatre at the time of the alleged assaults on a production of a play by Tennessee Williams known as Sweet Bird Of Youth, and Mr Cannon was a member of the cast in this production. They claim that Mr Spacey 'took a particular interest' in Mr Cannon for 'reasons of sexual interest' and sent him a 'lavish' gift of a framed poster of the 1985 production of the play directed by Harold Pinter. After the press preview of the show on June 12 2013, Mr Cannon attended a party at The Savoy in London organised by The Old Vic Theatre Company (The Cut) and The Old Vic Theatre Trust 2000. It is claimed that one of the alleged assaults took place at the event. Setting out the allegations, Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC, for Mr Cannon, said: 'Kevin Spacey pulled the claimant towards him, turned him around through 45 degrees and placed his left hand on the claimant's buttocks and lifted up the recess material of his suit.' It is alleged that Mr Spacey then pushed Mr Cannon's underwear 'as far up' into his bottom as possible, 'so as to cause pain and distress'. Ms Gumbel added: 'Mr Kevin Spacey pulled the claimant closer to him and whispered into the claimant's ear 'Don't worry about it'. 'Mr Spacey made more uncalled for and unwelcome advances to the claimant during the evening.' The following day, Mr Cannon reported the alleged assaults to his stage manager at the Old Vic Theatre, but no action was taken. According to the documents, it is accepted that Mr Cannon did not ask for any action to be taken, and was scared about how any further action might affect his career. Later that year, during the run of the show, Mr Cannon saw Mr Spacey at the Old Vic bar. Mr Spacey allegedly said to him, 'I hear you have a dirty secret', and then said: 'Open up.' Ms Gumbel said: 'Kevin Spacey then forced open the claimant's mouth with his fingers and thumbs and commented 'quite a bad boy' before the claimant could pull away. 'The claimant then left the bar. The forcing open of the claimant's mouth was another assault for which Kevin Spacey was responsible and for which the second and/or third defendants were vicariously liable. 'Further in 2017 when the Old Vic set up a confidential complaints email on October 31 2017 the claimant reported the above complaint again to the Old Vic.' She added that the alleged assaults were carried out by Mr Spacey in the course of his work for the organisations connected to the Old Vic, and they are 'vicariously liable' for the alleged assaults carried out in the context of a theatre production.


Daily Mirror
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Shameless star completely unrecognisable in chilling new BBC drama
BBC's powerful new drama Unforgivable has one renowned Shameless star among its leading star-studded cast but fans will simply not recognise him Shameless actor David Threlfall couldn't look further away from his former alter-ego Frank Gallagher even if he tried, in BBC 's new drama feature, Unforgivable. The dark story plot follows a harrowing tale that centres around child grooming and sexual abuse and shines a light on how a heinous crime can ripple through an entire family, with the Mitchells at the heart of the 90-minute long feature. David, 71, who is best known for his alcoholic, chain-smoking days as Frank on the popular working-class comedy sitcom, has ditched his iconic long dark locks to star in the role of Anna Mitchell's father. Anna, is a mother of two children and her brother Joe is the perpetrator - who had been behind bars serving a two year prison sentence for his despicable crimes. Joe is now to be released from jail and undertake rehabilitation which takes further toll on Anna, who is played by award-winning actress, Anna Friel, as she attempts to deal with the aftermath and emotional strain. David plays the angry dad of Anna, after learning she'd been to visit her brother Joe, despite his chilling crimes. His character in Unforgivable appears to be worlds away from his former head-of-the-clan character Frank on Shameless. In the brand new production, the esteemed actor is totally unrecognisable, boasting short gray hair and a neatly trimmed matching beard. Another distinctive observation that'll no doubt throw fans off of his Frank Gallagher scent, is that he is also presented as a well kept man, sporting a black tie and blazer with a crisp white shirt - nothing like his oversized green parka-style coat from a past on-screen life. Previously, David's appearance and accent have also proved to be a talking point among baffled fans with the actor bearing no real-life resemblance to his character at all. He played Frank so well, that viewers were unable to get past that he may not be anything like him off-screen. Shameless aired on Channel 4 for eleven series and 139 episodes from 2004 until 2013 and was adapted in the US, where it ran between 2011 and 2021. Speaking about his pursuits away from television, David previously shared with the Mirror that he is a family man at heart, sharing two children with his accomplished actor wife, Brana Bajic. Underscoring the disparity between himself and his fictional counterpart, he told the publication 2010: "I can't imagine getting up in the morning and taking a drink. My body doesn't take more than four pints. I was doing a scene yesterday where he was drinking cough medicine. He's lost." Unforgivable will air on BBC Two at 9pm this Thursday and will be available on BBC iPlayer from the same day.