Gregg Wallace ‘deeply sorry’ after 45 claims against him upheld

Gregg Wallace has said he “never set out to harm or humiliate” and was “deeply sorry for any distress” his behaviour caused.

The TV presenter’s comments to the PA news agency come after a report into BBC show MasterChef found 45 allegations against him were upheld.

They include one of unwelcome physical contact and another three of being in a state of undress.

In total, the report says 83 allegations were made against the TV presenter, with the majority of the substantiated claims relating to inappropriate sexual language and humour, but also culturally insensitive or racist comments.

The inquiry, conducted by an independent law firm, was ordered by MasterChef’s production company Banijay in the wake of a BBC News investigation which first revealed claims of inappropriate sexual comments against Wallace.

A decision has not yet been made about the new series of MasterChef which was filmed last year, with Wallace in it.

Downing Street said it welcomed the fact the BBC had “severed ties” with Wallace.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman added: “We’re clear that appropriate steps must be taken to ensure abuses of power are prevented from happening in the future.”

Monday’s report revealed allegations against Wallace across a 19-year period.

It also says that 10 standalone allegations were made against other people, two of which were substantiated.

Both of those substantiated allegations , which did not involve Wallace, relate to inappropriate language, one of swearing and one of racist language.

The report also says that during the course of the investigation, Wallace was diagnosed with autism, writing: “The findings made should be viewed in the context of his neurodiversity.”

But it adds: “Mr Wallace accepts that his diagnosis may help to explain some of his actions, but he does not wish to hide behind it.”

Last week, Wallace faced a backlash from autism charities and other organisations working with disabled people after he appeared to link the claims of misconduct against him with his recent autism diagnosis.

In his statement on Monday afternoon, Wallace reiterated his earlier claim that “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.”

Wallace said that some of his humour and language “missed the mark”, but added: “I never set out to harm or humiliate. I always tried to bring warmth and support to MasterChef, on screen and off.”

He also thanked those who have supported him, saying: “This has been brutal. For a working class man with a direct manner, modern broadcasting has become a dangerous place. I was the headline this time. But I won’t be the last.”

The investigation team found evidence that between 2005 and 2024, six complaints were raised with the production company and six with the BBC.

Patrick Holland, chief executive of Banijay UK, said in earlier years, “it is clear that escalation procedures were not as robust as they should have been”.

“We are extremely sorry to anyone who has been impacted by this behaviour and felt unable to speak up at the time or that their complaint was not adequately addressed,” he added.

A BBC statement said: “Although the full extent of these issues were not known at the relevant time, opportunities were missed to address this behaviour – both by the production companies running MasterChef and the BBC.

“We accept more could and should have been done sooner.”

The BBC said it apologised to “everyone who has been impacted by Mr Wallace’s behaviour”, and confirmed it has no plans to work with the presenter in future.

Gregg Wallace has been contacted for comment.

One of the former MasterChef workers who came forward to us, who accused Wallace of dropping his trousers in front of her, said she felt “relieved” by the outcome of the inquiry.

“I’m really pleased in particular that some of the more serious claims were upheld, and action has been taken,” she said.

Another, who claims he made inappropriate sexual comments, called it “a great outcome, and it completely invalidates him saying that he’d been cleared of most of the allegations”.

She added that she was “shocked” at the number of allegations.

“I really think there’s a lot of people at Banijay and the BBC who knew exactly what was happening and did nothing, who should be resigning.”

A former MasterChef contestant, who also accused Wallace of inappropriate sexual remarks and innuendoes, said she was glad the report had given credence to the complaints made.

She added that she hoped more women and girls would now have the confidence to speak up about misconduct.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the allegations against Wallace were “horrendous and appalling”.

“This case highlights a wider issue and much more must be done to ensure that everyone working in the creative industries is treated with dignity, fairness, and respect,” she said.

Philippa Childs, head of creative industries union Bectu, said the report shows how “inappropriate behaviour has gone unchecked for far too long” in the industry.

“This is a real failure by Banijay to take these issues seriously and act accordingly,” she said.

Childs stressed how “vulnerable” freelancers feel when “experiencing or witnessing poor behaviour” by people in “positions of power and influence.”

Employers, she continued, have “a duty to stamp out bad behaviour and support their workforces when issues are raised.”

She added: “Misogyny, intimidation, ageism and sexual harassment should have no place in modern workplaces. Yet they continue to plague our creative industries, propped up by inadequate reporting mechanisms, a lack of accountability and an industry that enables extreme power dynamics and ‘untouchable’ talent.”

Last November, a BBC News investigation heard from 13 people who made claims of inappropriate sexual comments against Gregg Wallace.

Last week, it emerged that Wallace had been sacked as presenter of the cooking show, as dozens more people came forward to BBC News with fresh claims of inappropriate language, touching and groping.

The 50 people who came forward to BBC News said they encountered Wallace across a range of shows and settings.

Around 20 were on Banijay productions, but others related to areas like night clubs, awards ceremonies and other TV shows. Some of the individuals we heard from also contributed to the Banijay inquiry.

BBC News is editorially independent of the wider corporation.