Former MasterChef contestant hits out at sacked John Torode for not intervening after 'incredibly inappropriate' comment from Gregg Wallace

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

Former MasterChef contestant Aasmah Mir has hit out at sacked presenter John Torode for not intervening after an 'incredibly inappropriate' comment from Gregg Wallace.
The Scottish broadcaster, 53, appeared on the show in 2017 and subsequently complained about the behaviour of Wallace.
She claimed he asked her to tell a colleague at the BBC that she was a 'sexy b****' and said he told a fellow contestant she was 'handling fish like a rapist'.
She was one of 83 people to make allegations against the BBC star, with a report this week from production company Banijay saying that 45 of the complaints had been upheld against the presenter.
Torode was then sacked after the same report upheld an allegation of racist language.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain today, Aasmah Mir said while she did not experience any issues from Torode, she was appalled at the way he did not intervene while Wallace made inappropriate comments towards her.
She said: 'I don't know how many of the allegations he witnessed.
'What I know is Gregg Wallace used an incredibly inappropriate term and John Torode didn't do anything. I mean there was no emotion.
'I mean there was no emotion. That could have been for a lot of things, that could be because it was 2017, it had been going since 2005. There had been a complaint made in 2005 by Kirsty Whark, maybe he had just become used to it?
'You would expect some emotion on his face, maybe he was just used to it.
'That is not his fault necessarily, that is Gregg Wallace's for putting him in that position.'
The comment was made after Mir has just made her first dish on the show and had walked up to present it to Torode and Wallace.
Asked by Richard Madeley if Torode had heard the comment, Mir replied: 'Yes. There is a screengrab of me putting my dish down and John Torode and Gregg Wallace are both there. So he definitely heard it.'
Mir later told the presenters that she 'felt sorry for Gregg Wallace'
She said: 'I feel sorry for him. I do feel sorry for Gregg Wallace because of the neurodivergence which is quite obvious here.
'But someone at the production company should have stepped in earlier and said this is not acceptable we wouldn't have the mess we are in today.'
Last year Aasmah Mir posted a cryptic message on social media where she wrote: 'Always keep your receipts.'
Alongside the message was a photo of Ms Mir while on the show, standing in an apron next to the iconic MasterChef logo.
She later posted again about her experience, writing: 'In 2017 I took part in Celebrity MasterChef. I put my first dish down in front of the judges and the cameras paused to reset.
'In front of everyone, Gregg Wallace told me to tell a colleague at the BBC "that she was a sexy b****."
'No-one said anything. And yes I did complain.'
She added: 'I left the competition first. But two female contestants including Ulrika Jonsson told me afterwards that he had told another contestant that the way she was handling fish "looked like a rapist doing foreplay".'
Meanwhile Torode was dramatically axed from MasterChef - hours after the BBC's director general refused to back him over an allegation of using racist language.
The corporation said the host's contract would not be renewed after a report found he had used an 'extremely offensive racist term' during drinks after filming the show.
The complaint against Torode was revealed in the report into co-presenter Gregg's inappropriate behaviour.
Wallace, 60, was sacked after dozens of complaints against him were upheld.
It comes as reports suggest The Australian chef could take legal action against the BBC after he was sacked from MasterChef.
Sources suggest the chef is 'preparing to launch a lawsuit against the BBC' and wants to pursue bosses for unfair dismissal.
'He's telling people there is no proof of his supposed comment. It was not in a work capacity, it was just hearsay. John is determined to clear his name,' sources told The Mirror.
But, such legal action may prove impossible for Torode as sources told MailOnline his contract was with Banijay rather than the BBC.
The Australian chef was dramatically axed from MasterChef - hours after the BBC's director general refused to back him over an allegation of using racist language. The complaint against John was revealed in the report into co-presenter Gregg's inappropriate behaviour
Torode identified himself on Monday as an unnamed person in the report who was accused of using 'racist language'.
However, the presenter said 'he had absolutely no recollection' of the incident and did 'not believe that it happened'.
But in a statement yesterday, the BBC said: 'This allegation - which involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace - was investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by the law firm Lewis Silkin.
'The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously.
'We will not tolerate racist language of any kind and we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken. John Torode's contract on MasterChef will not be renewed.'
Hours before the announcement, BBC director general Tim Davie had refused to back Torode and said he expected 'action to be taken' over the allegation.
Responding to his sacking, Torode, who is married to actress and former Celebrity MasterChef contestant Lisa Faulkner, said: 'I'd hoped that I'd have some say in my exit from a show I've worked on since its relaunch in 2005, but events in the last few says seem to have prevented that.'
He said he 'had loved every minute' working on the show but it was 'time to pass the cutlery to someone else'.
'Life is ever changing and ever moving and sometimes personal happiness and fulfilment lay elsewhere,' he added.
MasterChef bosses are reportedly pushing to air Gregg Wallace and John Torode's final series 'when the dust settles' after they were both sacked from the cooking show.
The upcoming series' - which have already been filmed - features former I'm A Celeb star and restaurant critic Grace Dent, who replaced Wallace to co-host with Torode.
The Sun reports that The BBC and production company Banijay plan to air both the amateur and celebrity editions.
However, MailOnline understands BBC director general Tim Davie, who has the final say, has not yet made his decision on whether MasterChef will or will not be aired.