Gregg Wallace Is Fired From MasterChef: The Full Controversy Explained

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10-07-2025

Gregg Wallace is back in the headlines this week following the news that he has been permanently axed from MasterChef after 20 years at the helm.
The TV personality had been the subject of an investigation for the last several months due to past complaints about his conduct behind the scenes of the BBC series.
After the investigation began towards the end of last year, it's now been confirmed that Gregg will not be returning to MasterChef.
But how exactly did we get to this point? Here's a quick reminder of the story so far…
June 2023: Gregg Wallace confirms he was spoken to about his behaviour by the producers of Inside The Factory
Before we get into the current drama, it's perhaps worth first revisiting Gregg's departure from his show Inside The Factory back in 2023.
Gregg first revealed he was stepping down as host of the docuseries after seven years as he wanted to spend more time with his then four-year-old son Sid, who is autistic and non-verbal.
However, shortly after his departure from Inside The Factory was confirmed, The Times reported the decision was made after Gregg was 'given a talking to' after engaging in banter 'that he believed to be friendly but was considered inappropriate', noting that while these remarks were 'not sexual', they were 'understood to have related to the weight of female staff members'.
Gregg insisted to The Times that these reports were 'inaccurate', saying: 'I use humour to relax people. It's a tool I've used for lots of years. I never, ever set out to upset or offend anybody and I never would. It makes me upset that I might have upset people.'
'All I would say is perhaps we need to draw a line between people that are bullies or nasty people and people that have made a mistake,' he added. 'Perhaps.'
He later confirmed there had been a behind-the-scenes 'argument' that led to him leaving, claiming: 'There was an issue and I thought that was the perfect time to come out.'
October 2024: Gregg Wallace first addresses claims that he was the subject of a BBC investigation
A month before the investigation that would lead to him leaving MasterChef, Gregg spoke out after The Sun reported he had been at the centre of a BBC investigation years earlier, due to his alleged behaviour behind the scenes of an episode of Impossible Celebrities.
According to the tabloid's report, Gregg sparked 'concerns' during an appearance on the gameshow in 2018, citing an 'insider' who alleged he had boasted about his sex life to a female staffer, and took his top off in front of her.
'With reference to what's in the newspapers, these allegations were investigated by the BBC six years ago – and my comments were found to be not sexual. I repeat not sexual,' Gregg later told his Instagram followers.
'Something else that I feel very strongly about, strong enough to be on here, nobody six years ago or since has accused me of flirting with anyone or hitting on anyone, and that is important to me, and I say this for my wife Anna, who I have been true to and madly in love with since the day I met her.
'I don't want anyone to misunderstand this and make it look like I was flirting with somebody. Nobody accused me of that, and I never have.'
A BBC spokesperson also told HuffPost UK at the time: '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.'
November 2024: Gregg Wallace announces leave of absence from MasterChef as investigation gets underway
A month later, it was announced that MasterChef production company Banijay UK would be launching an independent investigation about historic complaints made to the BBC about Gregg's conduct.
'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,' a Banijay rep said.
'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.'
It was also confirmed that, while this review was taking place, Gregg would be 'stepping away from his role on MasterChef ', adding that he was 'committed to fully co-operating throughout the process'.
The Sun had reported weeks earlier that Gregg's future with MasterChef – which he began hosting in 2005 – was 'under fire' after it 'emerged' he had been at the centre of the aforementioned BBC probe six years earlier.
December 2024: Gregg Wallace apologises after making disparaging remarks about his initial accusers
In a now-infamous Instagram post shared shortly after the MasterChef investigation was first made public, Gregg told his followers: 'I've been doing MasterChef for 20 years – amateur, professional and celebrity – and I think in that time I have worked with over 4,000 contestants of all different ages, all different backgrounds, all walks of life.
'And apparently now, I'm reading in the paper, there's been 13 complaints in that time. Now, 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.'
'In 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 concluded.
Meanwhile, in a separate post, he claimed: '[I've done] 20 years [of] Celebrity MasterChef, amateur, professional, Eat Well for Less, Inside The Factory. Do you know how many staff – all different sorts of staff, you imagine the people I've worked with – complained about me in that time? Absolutely none. Zero. Seriously.'
After facing a widespread backlash – including from prime minister Keir Starmer – for his 'middle-class women of a certain age' comment, Gregg later apologised for 'any offence' and 'any upset I may have caused to a lot of people'.
'I wasn't in a good head space when I posted it,' he claimed, stating he had been 'under a huge amount of stress' since the investigation was made public, and was feeling 'very alone under siege'.
He said: 'It's obvious to me I need to take some time out now while this investigation is underway.'
December 2024: John Torode speaks out amid the MasterChef investigation
The week after the investigation was first reported to be underway, Gregg's long-term co-host John Torode issued a statement which said: 'Since last Friday I have been away filming MasterChef overseas. I love my job, and I love MasterChef. I love being part of it and will continue to be part of it.
'During the last few days, I've been trying to make the best cookery programme, so being busy making the show and caring for our contestants has allowed me little time to think about anything else, but that has been hard.
'The thought of anyone who has appeared on our show not having a brilliant experience is awful to hear, and I have found the recent press reports truly upsetting.
'But as I hope everyone appreciates there is an investigation underway, which I fully support, so I cannot make any further comment at this stage, and I hope that you all understand and respect my silence on the matter moving forward.'
Years earlier, John had made no secret of the fact that he and Gregg weren't exactly the best of friends behind the scenes of MasterChef, claiming 'we were work colleagues and we've always stayed work colleagues'.
Asked about past comments that he and Gregg had 'never been friends', he responded: 'How do you define a friend? I think you define a friend of somebody if you're in a ditch one day and you're really in, you know, the cacker – you ring them up and you go 'I need help' – that's a friend. Gregg would do that. So, he's a friend. Don't get me wrong.
'But I don't go to the pub with him, we've both not been to each other's houses. We just don't do it.'
December 2024: BBC announces temporary replacement for Gregg Wallace on Celebrity MasterChef
As filming on the next season of Celebrity MasterChef got underway, it was announced that food critic Grace Dent – a long-time contributor to the show – would be stepping in for Gregg in his absence.
'I've been watching MasterChef since I was a girl sitting with my dad on the sofa. My whole family watches it. It's all about uncovering and championing talent – and to have ended up in this position, is more than a dream to me,' Grace enthused.
Her co-host John added: 'I have loved working with Grace on MasterChef over the years. She has been an excellent guest, an inspiring critic and also set some incredible challenges.
'Expertise is what MasterChef is all about, from the contestants to our wonderful production team, to us as judges. The love of food, the love of MasterChef, and that unquestionable expertise, makes Grace the perfect person to step in alongside me as judge for the forthcoming Celebrity MasterChef series.'
More than six months on from the investigation's beginning, it was confirmed by BBC News in July 2025 that Gregg would not be returning to the show.
Ahead of the results of the probe being published, Gregg issued a lengthy statement on Instagram in which he slated the BBC and disclosed that he had recently been diagnosed with autism.
'I have taken the decision to speak out ahead of the publication of the Silkins report – a decision I do not take lightly,' he began, referring to the collaborative report between Banijay UK and the law firm Lewis Silkin. 'But after 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others.'
He wrote: 'I have now been cleared by [the report] of the most serious and sensational accusations made against me. The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation.
'My decision to go public now is also driven by the fact the BBC News division are intending to platform legally unsafe accusations, including claims which have already been investigated and not upheld by the BBC and found not credible by Silkins.
'The BBC is no longer providing balanced and impartial public service journalism. It is peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories. The BBC is choosing to allow BBC News to run with this uncorroborated tittle tattle in an attempt to 'get ahead' of the Silkin's summary report and derail what has been an extremely thorough process.'
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Gregg continued: 'To be clear, the Silkin's Report exonerates me of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year and finds me primarily guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018. I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise without reservation. But I was never the caricature now being sold for clicks.
'I was hired by the BBC and MasterChef as the cheeky greengrocer. A real person with warmth, character, rough edges and all. For over two decades, that authenticity was part of the brand. Now, in a sanitised world, that same personality is seen as a problem.
'My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef. Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over twenty years. That failure is now being quietly buried.'
He added: 'Unfortunately, the full report (over 200 pages) will never be seen. Later this week, the BBC will publish a short Executive Summary. What really concerns me about the short summary is others who have been found guilty of serious allegations have been erased from the published version of events. I, and I'm sure the public, would like to know why?'
'I will not go quietly,' he concluded. 'I will not be cancelled for convenience. I was tried by media and hung out to dry well before the facts were established.
'The full story of this incredible injustice must be told and it is very much a matter of public interest.'
A BBC spokesperson told The Guardian: 'Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace. We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.'
BBC News reported on Tuesday that as many as 50 people have approached the broadcaster with complaints about Gregg, including allegations from one former colleague of him groping her, and another who said that he pulled his trousers down in front of her.