Latest news with #AasmahMir
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Celebrity MasterChef star asks why John Torode didn't speak up over Gregg Wallace
What did you miss? Former Celebrity MasterChef contestant Aasmah Mir has spoken of her shock that John Torode did not react to Gregg Wallace's sexually inappropriate comments to her on the show, saying: "There was no emotion... maybe he was just used to it." The former BBC Radio 4 journalist took part in Celebrity MasterChef in 2017, and when allegations about Wallace's behaviour on the show emerged last year, she opened up on the complaint she had made about him after her experiences. Wallace has since been sacked from the show. In the wake of Torode also being fired from MasterChef after an allegation that he used "extremely offensive" racist language was upheld, Mir has reflected back on her time on the show and admitted she was surprised at his lack of reaction over Wallace's comments at the time. What, how and why? Mir appeared on Thursday, 17 July's Good Morning Britain, where hosts Richard Madeley and Kate Garraway asked her how she felt about the claims over Torode's behaviour, and she admitted: "I'm very surprised." However, she added that she had wondered why he did not address Wallace's comments when she was on Celebrity MasterChef. Talking about a sexually inappropriate comment Wallace had made to her as she presented her first dish in the competition, Mir said: "No one said anything and then Gregg Wallace and John Torode just looked completely blank, poker-faced, like nothing had happened." Asked whether Torode had heard the comment, she said: "Yes, he definitely heard it." Madeley acknowledged that Mir had not complained about Torode, but asked: "You do have issues about his non-intervention?" "I absolutely do," she replied. "I don't know how many of the allegations and how many of the substantiated allegations he witnessed... what I do know is, Gregg Wallace used an incredibly inappropriate term, and John Torode didn't do anything. "There was no emotion. That could be a lot of things; it could be that it was 2017, it had been going on since 2005, there was a complaint made by Kirsty Wark in 2005, so maybe he had become used to it. I don't know. "You would expect some emotion on his face, but maybe he was just used to it. That's not his fault necessarily, that's Gregg Wallace's for putting him in that position." Mir later added: "I feel sorry for Gregg Wallace, I do feel sorry for him because of the neurodivergence, which is quite obvious here. Someone, the production company, should have stepped in earlier and said this is not acceptable. And do you know what, we wouldn't have the mess we're in today." Read more: MasterChef controversy BBC responds to claims final MasterChef series with Gregg Wallace and John Torode 'will still air' amid axe (The Standard, 3 min read) John Torode 'preparing to sue' BBC for 'unfair' MasterChef sacking (The Independent, 2 min read) How much is MasterChef worth to the BBC as both hosts axed from hit show? (The Independent, 4 min read) A report commissioned by production company Banijay into complaints about Wallace found 45 out of 83 allegations were upheld. Mir said, "I'm pretty sure one of them was mine, but no one actually told me that it was, so you have to second-guess the report." Responding to the news of his exit from MasterChef, Torode wrote on Instagram: "Although I haven't heard from anyone at the BBC or Banijay — I am seeing and reading that I've been 'sacked' from MasterChef, and I repeat that I have no recollection of what I'm accused of. The enquiry could not even state the date or the year of when I am meant to have said something wrong. "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 days seems to have prevented that. Over the past few months, I have been considering my life and the shape of it now and in the future. "Celebrity MasterChef, which I recently filmed with Grace Dent, along with two fantastic Christmas specials, will be my last. Personally, I have loved every minute of working on MasterChef but it's time to pass the cutlery to someone else. For whoever takes over, love it as I have. "I will watch fondly from afar as I now focus on the many other exciting projects that I have been working towards. My tummy will be grateful for a rest after 20 years of eating, but what a joy it has been. Life is ever-changing and ever-moving & sometimes personal happiness and fulfilment lay elsewhere. Thank you for many years of MasterChef." The fallout over MasterChef continues with reports that John Torode plans to sue the BBC after he was fired and is determined to clear his name following the allegation that he used an 'extremely offensive racist term' in 2018. Broadcaster Aasmah Mir appeared on Celebrity… — Good Morning Britain (@GMB) July 17, 2025 Meanwhile, Wallace said of the report's findings: "For eight months, my family and I have lived under a cloud. Trial by media, fuelled by rumour and clickbait. "None of the serious allegations against me were upheld. I challenged the remaining issue of unwanted touching but have had to accept a difference in perception, and I am deeply sorry for any distress caused. It was never intended." What had Aasmah Mir said about her Gregg Wallace complaint? Mir first spoke about her experiences on Celebrity MasterChef to Good Morning Britain in December 2024. She said: "I put my first dish down... my hands were shaking, they paused to reset. In front of everybody, the judges, the crew, the other contestants... Gregg Wallace said to me, 'oh, do you work at Radio 4?' "I thought, how nice, he's doing that presenter thing, he's relaxing you. I said, 'Yes, I do work at Radio 4.' 'Do you know X?' 'Yes, I do.' He said, 'Tell her from me' I thought he was going to say hi, 'Tell her from me, she's a sexy b***h'. "There was a silence, and then I laughed awkwardly. I just remember thinking this is mad. I wish I hadn't laughed, but I did. No one said anything, and then they just went right, let's start again, and they tasted my dish. I just remember thinking, am I going mad? I'm not using the excuse, but when you've just had a baby, you do think everything is a bit mad. "I remember thinking, did I imagine that? What happened there? So I went back and I muddled through for a couple of days, and then I was eliminated. It was in my head for many months, and I thought I can't complain about this because it's going to look like sour grapes because I was first out, so I kept quiet." Mir added: "Then I heard from another contestant that there had been other things that had gone on. That Gregg Wallace had gone up to one of the contestants who didn't like handling fish. Of course, they'd given her some fish to gut, because it's TV. He went up to her and said, 'watching you trying to gut a fish is like watching a rapist doing foreplay.'" The journalist continued that she had later run into another contestant from the series who told her about the incident: "One of the contestants said she was so upset that she walked away, and the production crew did come up to her because she walked away. I should have walked away, probably. Gregg Wallace was made to apologise to her for that, which he did. But he shouldn't have said it in the first place. "When she told me that, I thought I need to do something about this because I'm a journalist, I know how this works. Someone is going to say down the years, why did you not complain at the time. It's classic, I get loads of that online anyway." Good Morning Britain airs on ITV1 at 6am on weekdays.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Torode ‘didn't do anything' about offensive remark, says accuser
Aasmah Mir, a former Celebrity MasterChef contestant, claims that John Torode showed no emotion when his co-host Gregg Wallace made an offensive comment about a BBC colleague. Appearing on ITV 's Good Morning Britain on Thursday, Mir, who competed in 2017, suggested that Torode had become accustomed to Wallace's behaviour. She described Wallace's remark as "incredibly inappropriate" and said Torode 'didn't do anything'. Mir said that while the blame for the comment lay entirely with Wallace, she found Torode's complete lack of reaction odd. Watch the video in full above.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Gregg Wallace accuser Aasmah Mir says John Torode showed ‘no emotion' over offensive remark
Celebrity MasterChef former contestant Aasmah Mir claimed that John Torode showed 'no emotion' when hearing Gregg Wallace make an offensive comment about a BBC colleague. Appearing on ITV 's Good Morning Britain on Thursday (17 July), the radio presenter who took part in the show in 2017 said that it seemed as if Torode had 'become used to' Wallace's behaviour. She said: 'All I know is that Gregg Wallace used an incredibly inappropriate term and John Torode didn't do anything. There was no emotion.' She said that whilst the blame is entirely Wallace's for 'putting him in that position', she found it odd that there was no reaction from his co-star at all.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Former MasterChef contestant hits out at sacked John Torode for not intervening after 'incredibly inappropriate' comment from Gregg Wallace
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.
