‘MasterChef' Host Gregg Wallace Attacks BBC Amid Reports He's Been Fired After Misconduct Probe
Wallace posted a five-slide statement on Instagram setting out his position after a nine-month investigation carried out by law firm Silkins on behalf of MasterChef producer Banijay UK.
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Hours after posting the statement, BBC News, which is editorially independent of BBC corporate decision-making, published further allegations about Wallace based on evidence from 50 people.
Its lengthy report included testimony from 11 women who accused the established British TV presenter of inappropriate sexual behaviour, including groping and touching. Some of the women spoke to Silkins, BBC News reported.
Wallace denied the fresh claims, accusing BBC News of 'peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories.' He added that the Silkins review, a summary of which is expected to be published this week, had cleared him of the most 'serious and sensational' accusations.
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A post shared by Gregg Wallace MBE (@greggawallace)
The inquiry was launched late last year after BBC News published initial allegations that Wallace made 'inappropriate sexual comments' on five shows across a 17-year period.
One of 13 people who made the allegations included Kirsty Wark, the former BBC Newsnight presenter who was a Celebrity MasterChef contestant in 2011. Wallace's lawyers have always denied that he engaged in behavior of a 'sexually harassing nature.'
Today's BBC News piece reveals allegations from 50 more people. One woman told BBC News that Wallace took his trousers down in front of her in a dressing room. Another woman, who worked on MasterChef in 2013, said Wallace 'squeezed my bum' during a wrap party.
'The most damaging claims were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation,' Wallace said, adding Silkins 'finds me primarily guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018.' He 'apologized without reservation' for this.
'My decision to go public now is also driven by the fact that the BBC News division are intending to platform legally unsafe accusations, including claims which have already been investigate 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.'
He accused BBC News of chasing 'slanderous click-bait' and publishing 'uncorroborated tittle tattle.'
A BBC spokeswoman said: '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.' Banijay declined comment.
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