Kerry Katona weighs in on John Torode's MasterChef sacking as she claims she 'knows how easy it is to get cancelled'
The Australian-born chef, 59, lost his job on the BBC show after two decades over allegations that he used the N-word, which he claims to have 'absolutely no recollection' of.
And giving her opinion on the scandal, Kerry, 44, detailed her surprise at the investigation into John, adding it is 'it's 'hard to pass judgement' without details.
Speaking in her new magazine column, the former Atomic Kitten star penned: 'There's been drama unfolding around MasterChef, after claims against Gregg Wallace were investigated by the BBC. But I was surprised to see his co-host John Torode also involved.
'An allegation against John for using 'an extremely offensive racist term' was upheld, but it's hard to pass judgement without knowing the details.
'I don't condone racism in any form, but I also know how easy it is to get cancelled these days.'
Last week, in a separate incident to Gregg's, the BBC said Torode's contract would not be renewed after a report found he had used an 'extremely offensive racist term' following a complaint from a member of staff.
It had been previously reported that Torode used the N-word while singing along to a Kanye West song during a wrap party in 2019.
But, BBC News has since reported this was not the incident which led to the complaint upheld by the report.
This instead related to another incident a year earlier, when he allegedly used the same word on set after filming an episode of MasterChef and it was directed at a member of staff.
The news site added that the upheld allegation of racist language was one of nine complaints made against Torode in the report, which also related to allegations of abusive language towards junior production staff and sexual language, and which were not upheld.
These allegations were not upheld as they were unsubstantiated due to a lack of evidence or witnesses.
The complaint against Torode was revealed in the report into co-presenter Gregg Wallace's inappropriate behaviour. Wallace, 60, was sacked after more than 40 complaints against him were upheld.
The report also included one further complaint which was upheld relating to a third unnamed person, supposedly a MasterChef senior executive who was accused of swearing, according to BBC News.
The news site said it has contacted that executive but has not heard back.
Meanwhile, a Banijay spokesperson said the allegation is being handled 'appropriately internally'.
Kerry's words about John comes amid her own fair share of controversies and backlash over the years, having had to defend herself from everything to her looks to her parenting skills.
Last year, she was forced to hit back at cruel trolls as they blasted her recent lip tweakment and compared her to a 'duck'.
While in 2019, she was quick to defend her decision to share photos of daughter DJ, in a full face of make-up.
Meanwhile, one of her biggest dramas saw This Morning viewers accused Kerry of being drunk during a 2008 interview as she slurred her words repeatedly throughout the chat, which she later revealed was a result of her medication for bipolar disorder.
In 2023, she admitted she couldn't understand what she'd done 'wrong', remarking: 'It was like I'd killed somebody!'
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