Gregg Wallace reveals struggles with 'suicidal thoughts' after MasterChef scandal
Gregg Wallace revealed he struggled with suicidal thoughts after he was axed from MasterChef amid accusations of inappropriate behaviour on set
Former MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace has admitted to struggling with suicidal thoughts after he was hit with allegations of misconduct. The shamed food critic, 60, was forced to step away from his beloved role on MasterChef in November 2024, as explosive allegations of misconduct surfaced.
In October, Eat Well for Less star was accused of gross misconduct, including making inappropriate sexual comments to 13 colleague, including Kirsty Wark, and engaging in alleged bullying behaviour. The star, who fronted the show since 2005, was accused of making "inappropriate sexual jokes", asking for the number of female production team members and getting undressed "too close" to women on the show.
He had also been accused of 'groping' three women in separate incidents. He was soon forced to step down from his role at MasterChef while the BBC and production company Banijay UK launched an investigation into the allegations. Wallace's lawyers have vehemently denied any accusations of sexual harassment.
It was soon announced he would be replaced on Celebrity MasterChef with renowned restaurant critic Grace Dent joining John Torode at the helm.
This news followed serious allegations from Penny Lancaster, who claimed she was a 'victim of bullying and harassment' by Gregg.
Gregg, however, previously brushed off the complaints, dismissing them as coming from "a handful of middle-class women of a certain age." His comments were criticised by many, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.
And now, months after he hit headlines, Gregg admitted he "thought about suicide all the time" in an interview with Mail+.
Meanwhile, the TV judge's lawyers were previously quoted by BBC News as saying 'it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Fan favourite Celebs Go Dating star lands huge new show after ‘stepping more into the limelight'
Channel 5 hopes to strike gold with their offering, which comes from the team behind Ross Kemp's documentaries BAGS OWN SHOW Fan favourite Celebs Go Dating star lands huge new show after 'stepping more into the limelight' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AFTER years behind the reception desk at the Celebs Go Dating agency, Tom Read Wilson has now been promoted. I can reveal he is finally stepping into the spotlight with a show of his own, called The Grand Tour With Tom Read Wilson. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Celebs Go Dating's Tom Read Wilson is stepping into the spotlight with a show of his own Credit: Rex 4 Rylan Clark and Rob Rinder won a Bafta earlier this year for their show Credit: PA The historical travelogue for Channel 5, which is currently in production, will follow a similar format to that of Rylan Clark and Rob Rinder's successful BBC show — which won the twosome a Bafta earlier this year. So Channel 5 hopes to strike gold with their offering, which comes from the team behind Ross Kemp's documentaries, and Josie Gibson's First Class Travel Show. A source revealed: 'The success of Rob and Rylan's series has proved that there's a healthy appetite from viewers for smart, entertaining and comedic journeys through history — and now Channel 5 want some of the pie. 'Tom has long been a big fan favourite on Celebs Go Dating, thanks to his dry wit and one- liners, so it makes sense for him to step more into the limelight. 'Famous landmarks' 'This new series, which will see Tom take on a solo presenting role, combines history and culture as he explores famous landmarks and delves into the stories behind these attractions. 'Filming has already begun and fans can expect to tune in later this year.' Tom first rose to fame as a contestant on ITV singing contest The Voice before finding a home on the E4 dating show. He also made his debut on Channel 5 last year, as presenter of The Christmas Taste Test, which saw him put brands to the test to uncover the best supermarket festive goodies. He has featured, too, in BBC cooking show Celebrity Best Home Cook, as a talking head on Channel 5 documentary Aldi Vs Lidl, and on Channel 4 gameshow Darling, What Have You Done To Your Hair? Rob and Rylan's Grand Tour took home won the Entertainment award at the Baftas last month, after fighting off competition from the likes of Stacey Solomon's Sort Your Life Out and the BBC's Race Across The World. Tom will now hope that when he hits the road, his Grand Tour will enjoy similar success with viewers. Christine McGuinness signs up for Celebs Go Dating as we reveal full line-up including pop legends & reality TV icons THE IT Crowd star Katherine Parkinson is to play Ron Weasley's mum Molly in the Harry Potter HBO TV series. In further casting, child star Lox Pratt will be Draco Malfoy, and Johnny Flynn his dad Lucius. Filming will start soon, at London's Warner Bros Studios. AS series two of queer dating show I Kissed A Boy airs on BBC Three, it's been revealed spin-off I Kissed A Girl will also get a second run. The girls' show, the first of its kind in the UK, made its debut last year – after 2023's first season of I Kissed A Boy. 4 Dannii Minogue hosts I Kissed A Boy Credit: BBC It will return later this year with ten singles meeting for the first time with a kiss. Applications to take part are now open on the BBC Take Part website. Dannii Minogue, who hosts both the boys' and girls' shows, in TV house the Masseria in Italy, said: 'I Kissed A Girl [series one] was groundbreaking for female representation, and I can't wait for the return. 'Let's see what the Italian sun does for kisses and connections. 'I'm ready to be Cupid – get ready for Masseria mania.' KITCHEN queen Mary Berry struggled to help Alan Carr cook when he appeared on her BBC series Foolproof Dinners last year – but it's no secret the comic is NO chef. He proved as much on The Great British Bake Off's Stand Up To Cancer special in 2018 – two years after Mary quit as a judge – when he served up a disastrous tribute cake to children's TV show Rainbow . . . that was rock solid. 4 Alan Carr, Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding on Bake Off Now, he has revealed his bake was so bad, that after filming stopped on the Channel 4 show even production crew declined to take a bite, except for one particularly hungry cameraman. Chatting on his Life's A Beach podcast, with guest Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood, Alan revealed: 'What people don't know is, they leave all the cakes at the back for the cast and crew to tuck in. 'Mine was intact.' Paul said of show leftovers: 'If I eat it, it all goes and savoury stuff tends to disappear first on set more than the desserts.' But he said of Alan's creation: 'It was bad. 'I've tried to delete it from my mind.'
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Jodie Comer's unusual ways he chooses new roles after eye-opening moment
Killing Eve legend Jodie Comer has revealed the usual way she chooses new roles, admitting she follows her instincts nowadays as she prepares to tour with a play Jodie Comer says she relies on her instincts when choosing new roles to play. The actor, 32, will be in a touring version of the play Prima Facie and stars in new post-apocalyptic horror sequel 28 Years Later. Looking back on her work in Free Guy, a 2021 action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds, she says it gave her a moment of clarity about her career: 'It was my first film and I had the most amazing experience on that job – they were just the most gentle, inclusive, supportive people, and it was incredibly fun… But I realised, when I was coming home, Ah, there's something I'm not feeling. I feel like I'm not stretching. Or not discovering. And I realised that it was the emotional part of it. I wasn't exercising [that] part of myself.' Speaking to GQ, she added: 'I realised that's actually where I get my fulfilment – trying to find those places. If the instincts aren't there, if I'm not excited by it, then I just don't want to go near it because then I'm pulling from an artificial place. It feels almost dishonest with myself.' In 28 Days Later a virus called 'rage' has obliterated the country. But in real life she struggles to summon up her own rage and it often turns to another emotion. Jodie said: 'I've realised my own [rage] just immediately goes to a very emotional place – my anger can so quickly go to tears. I think I swallow it as well,. I think, as women, we suppress it and that's probably why I have trouble accessing it – I've done that so much that it feels kind of foreign, like I'm not quite sure where to pull it from.' The actor, who is best known for playing Villanelle in BBC spy series Killing Eve previously starred in a run of Prima Facie in London's West End in 2022. It follows the story of a barrister named Tessa, who specialises in defending men accused of sexual assault, and whose view of the legal system changes after she is sexually assaulted herself. Speaking about the reaction to the play from men, she said: "I imagine it's quite confronting, I don't know. Maybe also, when they read what it's about, they think, 'well, that's not something that's directed at me'. "I imagine, for a man, it will force them to look back at their own behaviour, which I imagine would be - or could be - potentially very uncomfortable. But (sexual assault) isn't 'a woman's issue', you know what I mean?" She added that a male police officer who had visited the show wrote a letter to the production afterwards. Jodie said: "I don't think I've had a deep, meaningful conversation with many men about the play, actually. "I do know there was a male police officer that came in one night, and he wrote in to the production. "He was kind of saying, 'this is me - I see myself, and I recognise the kind of work that needs to be done as a police officer'." The actor, who is best known for playing Villanelle in BBC spy series Killing Eve, said many women had contacted the production after seeing it to share their personal stories. Speaking about the interactions, she explained: "It's so beautiful, and it's so rare, for someone to look you in the eyes and share something of themselves, and there's so much that isn't said, but even in just the briefest of moments, it's like, 'that was me, or, I feel that'." * The Heroes Issue of British GQ is available via digital download and on newsstands on 10th June..
Metro
2 hours ago
- Metro
Hidden gem documentary that inspired 90s comedy legend free to watch on BBC iPla
BBC iPlayer is secretly home to one of the most influential documentary films of the 1990s – and barely anybody in Britain knows it's there. Three Salons At the Seaside – directed by Philippa Lowthorpe – was first aired in 1994 and, over 40 minutes, followed the story of three real hair salons in Blackpool. Focusing on the staff and customers at Vanity Box, Tricia's Hair Salon, and Mary's Way, Three Salons At the Seaside has been retrospectively celebrated as a touching time capsule of 20th century Britain. The documentary was thought to be lost to history, only surviving in bits and pieces on YouTube, but the BBC uploaded the entire thing to iPlayer in 2022. Renewed interest in the documentary film inspired a 2022 American parody called Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport, which starred none other than Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett. But most importantly, its resurrection encouraged Stockport-born comedy writer Craig Cash – of The Royle Family, Early Doors, and Gogglebox – to reveal that his writing partner Caroline Aherne had been a huge fan. Together, Craig and Aherne – who died of lung cancer in 2016 – co-wrote The Royle Family, which ran for three seasons and numerous specials between 1998 and 2012. Set in Manchester, The Royle Family was situated inside the home of the titular TV-obsessives, who were played by Ricky Tomlinson, Ralf Little, Liz Smith, and Sue Johnston, alongside on-screen couple Craig and Aherne. It won several awards during its run and is often celebrated as one of the best British sitcoms of its time – it drew in 10 million viewers at its peak in 1999. Speaking to the Radio Times in 2023, Craig said: 'We took inspiration from real life and our families. We watched the documentary about hairdressers, Three Salons at the Seaside, which we thought was hilarious. 'Sometimes people get bogged down in plot and narrative at the expense of character and dialogue. For us it was all about the pauses, how people really are.' In particular, viewers have noticed that Hilary – a hair stylist and administrator working at Vanity Box – bears a striking resemblance in appearance and personality to one of Aherne's characters, Mrs. Merton. The Mrs Merton Show ran between 1993 and 1998 on the BBC, and some estimations put the average viewing figures at somewhere between seven and eight million. On Facebook, Paul Davies thought aloud: 'I wonder if Caroline Aherne took a little bit of the spirit of these wonderful ladies for her Mrs Merton character.' Many fans of the documentary cite its peaceful atmosphere and honest portrayal of northern working class life as reasons for repeatedly watching it year after year. Others have cited that it reminds them very precisely of the world before reality TV and social media, and even in the days before widespread internet usage and Sky TV. Karen O'Mahoney said on Facebook: 'There's something so heartwarming about [Three Salons At the Seaside]. Hard to believe it's only 30 years ago, feels like another age.' A scene which has stuck with viewers focused on a 'funeral bag' that Vanity Box handed out to its customers whenever they were having their hair done in order to say goodbye to a friend or relative. The women in the salon would be given the funeral bag by Hilary upon their arrival at the salon – the clutch bag contained a small amount of money and a complementary mint. Fiona Botham commented: 'I love the kindness of the funeral bag with a bit of money and a mint. The hairdresser owner seems such a lovely woman.' In 2022, Three Salons At the Seaside was officially named by the Grierson Trust charity as one of the finest British documentaries made in the last 50 years. More Trending As for the status of each of the three salons – Mary's Way closed down some time between 2008 and 2012 according to Google Maps, while the shop unit that used to be home to Tricia's was renovated for housing in 2016. However, the Vanity Box is still going strong, with Google reviews from as recently as nine months ago still thanking the staff for their dedication and hard work at the centre of Blackpool's community. The short film's creator, Phillipa Lowthorpe, went on to direct episodes of Netflix hit series The Crown and the long-running BBC wartime drama Call the Midwife. Three Salons At the Seaside is streaming on BBC iPlayer. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Wimbledon to be shown on new TV channel to end BBC's 88-year monopoly MORE: All EastEnders cast returns, exits and new arrivals coming up in 2025 MORE: EastEnders pulled from TV schedules as statement is issued – but there's a twist
