Gregg Wallace says his 'world tumbled in' after being axed from MasterChef
Greg Wallace has said he dealt with suicidal thoughts after he was axed from MasterChef.
The food critic, 60, was forced to step away from his role on the BBC show in November. This came after allegations of misconduct, including making inappropriate comments and engaging in alleged bullying behaviour.
Having fronted the show since 2005, the TV star was accused of asking for the phone numbers of female team members. He was also accused of getting undressed 'too close' to women on the show, reports The Mirror.
READ MORE: Spain warning for UK tourists as popular travel document 'no longer accepted'
READ MORE: Danny Dyer says his wife Jo 'emptied bank account' after 'kicking him out'
Gregg was also 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.
Gregg'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.
Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
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+.
Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
After being axed from MasterChef via a Zoom call with bosses in November, he said his "world tumbled in". He revealed he didn't talk to anyone for days before a senior executive from MasterChef contacted him following his 'middle-class women' comment - which he says was his 'biggest mistake'.
"Nobody should be left on their own to face something like this," he explained. "It's very difficult to explain the pressure unless you've been through it.
"I thought about suicide all the time: 'Is my insurance up to date? Will Anna get some money? She doesn't deserve this. It would be better if I wasn't here'."
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".
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
David Walliams Nazi salute 'unacceptable', BBC says
The BBC has said it was "unacceptable" for David Walliams to make two Nazi salutes during a recording of comedy panel show Would I Lie To You? this week. The comedian and children's author made the gestures during a segment in which a fellow panellist discussed a story about injuring their wrist while waving. Walliams reportedly joined in with increasingly vigorous waves, which culminated in him holding out his arm in a Nazi salute. The show's production company and the BBC both described the gestures as "completely unacceptable" and said the segment would not be broadcast. BBC News has asked representatives for Walliams for comment. The former Britain's Got Talent judge was on the panel for the BBC One show's Christmas special, which was recorded at Pinewood Studios on Tuesday. Journalist Sebastian Topan, who was in the audience, contacted the BBC to describe what happened. One part of the show saw Call The Midwife actress Helen George, who took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2015, being given a prompt to suggest she had sprained her wrist "from waving too much during the Strictly tour". She then had to try to convince the opposing team that her anecdote was true. After demonstrating the wave, which purportedly left her with an injury, she was told that it was "too little" and was encouraged to make a bigger gesture. "Some other panellist was talking when David Walliams started doing the Nazi salute," Topan told the BBC. "I was shocked at what I had seen." There were "patches of quietened gasps and awkward half-laughs and broken clapping" in the audience, they said. The show's host, Gavin & Stacey star Rob Brydon, then told Walliams the show would be broadcast before the 9pm watershed, effectively suggesting his behaviour was not suitable for a family TV audience. However, as the discussion about George's experience continued, Walliams made the gesture again, adding a sexual gesture with his other hand. It's understood the exchange landed awkwardly in the studio. "The atmosphere was uncomfortable and weird," Topan said. "I think Rob Brydon wanted to get past it as quickly as he could. David Walliams' team-mates looked unsure what to do and were not laughing... It was like an elephant in the room after that as the incident was early on in the recording and so the remainder of the show felt weird." After the recording, a different member of the audience posted on X: "I didn't have David Walliams doing a Nazi salute at the Would I Lie To You? Christmas taping on my 2025 bingo card." A spokesperson for Banijay UK, which owns the show's production company Zeppotron, said: "Any attempt at humour regarding this deeply offensive gesture, whether broadcast or not, is completely unacceptable in any context. "It was immediately acknowledged during the recording that this segment would not be broadcast under any circumstances and we apologise to those who were at the recording for any offence caused." A BBC spokesperson said: "The use of such an offensive gesture is completely unacceptable and we apologise to all at the recording for the offence caused." Walliams, who also hosts a podcast with his former Little Britain co-star Matt Lucas, has not appeared on terrestrial television since 2022. He left his role as a judge on ITV show Britain's Got Talent that year after an audio recording of him making insulting comments about contestants were made public.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mother of protester says trial wait 'outrageous'
The mother of a man charged in relation to an alleged break-in at the UK site of an Israel-based defence firm has said it is "outrageous" that he faces 21 months in prison before his case goes to trial. William Plastow, 34, is one of the 'Filton 18' accused of taking part in a Palestine Action protest at an Elbit Systems UK factory in Filton, Bristol last August. Mr Plastow is still awaiting his trial which is scheduled for April next year. His mum, Jane Plastow, believes it is the longest anyone has been held in prison pre-trial on protest-related charges. The Judicial Office told the BBC it could not comment on individual cases. An earlier court hearing was told that during the incident a vehicle was driven into the doors of buildings and two responding police officers and a security guard were injured. Along with many of the rest of the group, Mr Plastow, from Manchester, is charged with criminal damage, violent disorder and aggravated burglary which he denies. The Home Office has previously told the BBC: "The CPS has decided that there is sufficient evidence to submit to the court that these offences have a terrorism connection." However, none of the 18 have been charged with terror offences. Elbit Systems UK is run separately to Israel-based Elbit Systems. It previously told the BBC that claims the facilities supply the Israeli military are "completely false". An Elbit Systems UK spokesperson told the BBC it will not comment on an ongoing legal process. "I think [for Mr Plastow] there's a great sense of helplessness and hopelessness," Ms Plastow said. "There have been lots of people locked up as political prisoners in Britain recently, there is Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil - but nobody has been locked up longer than my son and some of his comrades." Ms Plastow said her son applied for bail, promising the judge that he would stay with his mother and wear an electronic tag. "We had discussed the most onerous terms, it basically amounted to house arrest," Ms Plastow said. She said she offered to pay £50,000, from a recent inheritance, but he was denied bail. "My son has never been violent. It is a gross overreach," Ms Plastow added. "The idea that at the moment it looks like he will be locked up for 21 months is outrageous." More news stories for Bristol Watch the latest Points West Listen to the latest news for Bristol Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. UN expert's concern over activist charges 'My daughter was branded a terrorist'
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Shops found to be flouting single-use vape ban
Nearly two weeks on from a ban on the sale of single-use disposable vapes in the UK, many shops have been found still to be openly selling the illicit items. Almost half of the 21 stores which an undercover BBC reporter visited in cities in Yorkshire continued to sell the vapes as though there had been no law change. Single-use vapes, in their bright-coloured packaging and variety of fruity flavours, had been a "key driver behind the alarming rise in youth vaping", the previous government had said as it first set its sights on a ban. The Labour administration followed through, with the disposables officially banned from sale from 1 June this year - the aim being to protect children's health and reduce damage to the environment. Since the introduction of the ban, anybody selling the illicit items risks a £200 fine, with repeat offenders facing the prospect of jail. But our undercover investigation has revealed that while some shop owners in Sheffield, Bradford, York and Leeds have been found to be following the new rules, others are turning a blind eye. In some shops we visited in Yorkshire, the colourful packaging of single-use vapes was still very much visible on the shelves. Shopkeepers in those premises seemed happy to offer them to customers, and many were even selling them at a reduced price. One shopkeeper I spoke to told me he knew he was breaking the law by selling the single-use disposable vapes, but he added that he wanted to sell his remaining stock at a discount. "It's banned," he said, pointing at the stack of vapes in his shop window. "I'm not allowed to sell them. I'm finishing. I don't have a lot, so I'm just trying to [get rid of them]." This was despite the ban on such vapes having been announced in October last year. That gave stores more than seven months to get rid of the disposable vapes they still had in stockrooms and on the shelves before the ban came into force in June. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said before the ban that vape usage in England had grown by more than 400% between 2012 and 2023, with about 9% of people now buying and using the products. Single-use disposable vapes helped get children hooked on nicotine and blighted high streets with waste, according to the government. "It's why we've taken tough action and banned them," a Defra spokesperson said. Flouting that ban, another shopkeeper asked me if I wanted a "good deal" and offered to sell me an armful of the illicit vapes for £20, showing me a pick-and-mix of fruity flavours in the store's glass cabinet. However, as part of our investigation in cities across Yorkshire to find out where such vapes were still being sold, we also visited traders regulated by North Yorkshire Council's Trading Standards team. Both shop workers approached by our undercover reporter there refused to sell the now-illegal items. Councillor Greg White, North Yorkshire Council's executive member for environment, said it was "disappointing" to see shops in other parts of Yorkshire were still prepared to break the law. "There's been plenty of time to prepare and to try to get people to move from disposable vapes to reusable ones, and that would have been good for their business," he explained. A Defra spokesperson said: "Rogue traders will face serious penalties, up to and including criminal prosecution." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Why are disposable vapes being banned and how harmful is vaping? 'I don't know what we'll do' - Vapers panic-buy ahead of disposables ban Disposable vapes ban unlikely to reduce appeal, says campaigner Disposable vape ban begins - but will it have an impact? Disposable vapes to be banned from June
