Ulrika Jonsson has waged war on Gregg Wallace after the MasterChef host laid the blame on a handful of middle-class women of a certain age for levelling allegations of sexist and inappropriate behaviour against him.
Wallace, 60, has sparked outrage for the way he has dealt with the accusations that have seen him step down from MasterChef after nearly 20 years while an investigation into historical misconduct is carried out.
There are 13 people, including BBC Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, who have formally complained about Wallaces behaviour over a 17-year period across five shows, from 2005 to 2022.
The presenter faces various allegations of making inappropriate sexual jokes, asking for the phone numbers of female members of production staff, and undressing in front of and standing too close to women working on his shows.
Wallaces lawyers say it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
He has also defended himself in recent days, posting several videos on his Instagram, including saying there had been 13 complaints from over 4,000 contestants - as he blamed middle-class women of a certain age for his downfall.
Ms Jonsson, who previously accused Wallace of making a rape joke on Celebrity MasterChef in 2017, led the furious backlash by branding Wallace ignorant and arrogant.
In a post on Instagram on Sunday, Wallace said: Ive been doing MasterChef for 20 years, amateur, celebrity and professional MasterChef, and I think, in that time, I have worked with over 4,000 contestants of all different ages, all different backgrounds, all walks of life.
Ulrika Jonsson (pictured) previously claimed a female contestant was hugely upset by Wallaces rape joke, which caused another member to storm off set and complain
Ulrika Jonsson led the furious backlash by branding Wallace ignorant and arrogant for the way he has defended himself
Gregg Wallace this week stepped down from MasterChef amid a probe into his behaviour. Today he lashed out at middle-class women of a certain age in a rant on his Instagram story
Apparently now, Im reading in the paper, theres been 13 complaints in that time. I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age, just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isnt right.
In 20 years, over 20 years of television, can you imagine how many women, female contestants on MasterChef, have made sexual remarks, or sexual innuendo? Can you imagine?
In a third video, Wallace claimed absolutely none of the people he had worked with on his shows had made a complaint about him.
He also reposted several screenshots of supportive messages received from people who said they were former contestants or had worked with him.
Leading the backlash, Ms Jonsson told The Sun she was seething, adding: Somewhere in his misogynistic, thoughtless, ancient mind he felt it appropriate to tell the world this.
Oh, Gregg. Your ignorance and arrogance knows no bounds. Firstly, you have no clue what class of women it is that have made complaints about you.
What we can ascertain is that they are a shed-load classier than you will ever be.
She went on to call him out for saying the woman of a certain age that he was referring to are supposed to have gone into old age quietly but that they are in fact the hardiest bunch because they have suffered from sexism and misogyny.
Two of Wallaces accusers have also hit back at the TV star for the way he has handled the allegations.
Anna, not her real name, was part of a group that complained about Wallace in 2018 after working with him.
Reacting to Wallaces Instagram video, she told BBC News: Im interested to see what consequences hell finally be facing from the BBC and [MasterChef production company] Banijay UK for his behaviour towards women of all ages.
While they decide, maybe Gregg should use this time to reflect on and take some accountability for how he abused his position of power instead of adding flames to the fire on social media.
A second accuser, James, also not his real name, said Wallaces video seems to be saying hes the victim of classism.
His humour isnt typically working-class or prone to misinterpretation: from my perspective, its main purpose is to test boundaries, make other people (especially women) uncomfortable, and display his power within the room, he said.
And its not just women who are offended - plenty of men are too, its just that far too few of them have the host called out on his bad behaviour.
And another former colleague of Wallace, who is not one of the 13 who initially spoke to the BBC, said the video was so dismissive of the people that have come forward, especially younger women.
Former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark, right, is among 13 people who have accused MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace, left, of making inappropriate sexual comments
Social media users took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to make fun of his post as they joked about his lawyers and PR firms reaction to the video
Comedian David Baddiel joked: Its not often that the internet gets behind middle-class, middle-aged women these days, but thanks to Gregg Wallace for making it happen.
She added: I dont know what class and age have to do with it.
It comes after a former MasterChef contestant claimed the multiple allegations made against Wallace are just the tip of the iceberg.
The contestant, who did not want to be identified, alleges that he was so horrified by the toxic environment during filming for the show that he wanted to quit on his first day.
They told Sky News: I was horrified. Id never seen anything like it, genuinely, I was really quite shocked at that really toxic environment.
What I witnessed... as a contestant was that there was a systemic problem that was larger than just him, in my view.
Gregg... would occasionally crack jokes that in different ways felt inappropriate but he wasnt the only one.
The contestant, who alleged the abuse on the show went further than Wallace, added: I think its good that these things are coming out and Im glad that people are speaking up, its brilliant. But I do think its the tip of the iceberg.
I think if you were to really unravel and look at what was going on in that culture at large youd see a lot more, you know, abuse.
The contestant told Sky News they regret not leaving on the first day, but that they felt too embarrassed to walk away.
They said the only way they felt they could leave was by cooking something awful and being thrown off - but they did not follow through with this because their pride got the better of them.
The contestant shared how offensive language was routinely used by camera crews and producers but that Wallace was the least offensive.
He also claimed that he heard inappropriate comments being made to another contestant.
The whistleblower claims that contestants were forced to sign nondisclosure agreements, forbidding them from speaking about anything that goes on.
They said that they had seen too much behind the scenes to be able to watch the programme anymore. And they also remember wondering if the BBC were aware of what was going on or if that was just how the industry operated.
A BBC source said: While we are not going to comment on individuals or any internal processes, particularly when there is an ongoing process in place being run by Banijay who have the direct contractual relationship with Gregg Wallace, it would be wrong to report the BBC has done nothing if or when matters have been raised with us – not least because it is already being widely reported there were interventions in both 2017 and 2018 where action was taken.
We continue to urge caution about pre-judging any of this, particularly the involvement of BBC staff members and any inference they have not acted appropriately.
The BBC has said it is taking the issues raised about Wallace seriously after he stepped down from the programme
It comes as The Sunday Times reported that BBC executive Kate Phillips raised concerns Wallaces behaviour was unacceptable and cannot continue.
The intervention came after broadcaster and former Celebrity MasterChef contestant Aasmah Mir, said she complained about inappropriate comments during filming when she appeared on the show in 2017.
In an email forwarded to Ms Phillips in November 2017, Ms Mir said: Should anything happen in the future, I dont want to feel guilty when people say, Why wasnt anything said before?, or for producers or editors to claim they didnt know.
Ms Mir, who presents the breakfast show on Times Radio, later wrote in an email that was copied to Ms Phillips: This must not happen again to another woman.
In a post on X, she described a moment on the show which led to her complaint. While waiting for cameras to reshoot a scene, she claims Wallace said to tell a colleague at the BBC that she was a sexy b****.
Ms Mir claims that no one did anything despite it being said in front of everyone which is why she complained.
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.
The newspaper claimed he received another warning the following year after a complaint was raised about his behaviour on the quiz show Impossible Celebrities.
The Sunday Telegraph reported producer Georgia Harding, who worked on MasterChef between 2014 and 2015 and later Eat Well For Less, claimed she raised concerns about inappropriate behaviour from him while working on the show.
She alleged the presenter undressed in front of colleagues and made inappropriate sexual jokes in front of the crew and people appearing on the shows, and said nothing was done about concerns raised, claiming there was an acceptance of his behaviour and nothing was done.
Wallace on MasterChef with co-host John Torode. A re-emerged clip from the 2013 series showed Wallace making a innuendo-laden remark at contestant Katy Brand
Harding also said he stood too close to contestants on set and spoke about sex a lot and would get changed on set even though he had a changing room.
Meanwhile TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp also claimed Wallace made an inappropriate sexual joke to her.
She wrote on X: Within 1hr of meeting Gregg Wallace he told me of a sex act that he & his partner at the time enjoyed every morning, shed just left the room, we were filming a pilot. Did he get off on how embarrassed I was? It was totally unprofessional.
She added: Why say nothing? Because you feel, in no particular order, embarrassed, a prude, shocked, waiting for a male colleague to call him out, not wanting to rock the boat, thinking its better to plough on with the day, assuming you misheard/misunderstood or just dont get the joke.
Former Celebrity MasterChef star Emma Kennedy, who appeared on the 2012 series, has said she never saw Wallace as a sexual predator, but did witness inappropriate behaviour.
Speaking to Times Radio, she said: I went into the studio and it was me and Gregg and the photographers assistant and the photographers assistant was a young woman, very attractive young woman, and she was bending over dealing with some equipment.
And as she was bending over, Gregg in front of me went and put his hands over her buttocks and then turned to me and went core and then was laughing as if this was a great joke.
When asked to confirm that Wallaces hands were on the young womans bottom, she continued: I think I, now the angle that I was at, I cannot say for 100% but she did instantly react, so I do believe that he touched her. Yes.
It was like a combination of things. I think initially I was just agog that he felt comfortable enough to do that to a woman in front of another woman. But I think, and I am going to make this distinction, I dont think he did it as an act of sexual aggression. I think he did it because he thought it was funny.
She continued: And I can only speak about my experience with Gregg and although I saw quite a lot of inappropriate behaviour, I never sort of felt, Okay youre a sexual predator I never thought he was evil. But what I did think, but what I did think was that he just doesnt understand that some behaviour is completely inappropriate.
And I said to him at the time, you cant do that stuff, Gregg. And it sort of went in one ear and out the other I think.
An anonymous woman who appeared on Eat Well For Less also claimed that Wallace stood too close to her, made inappropriate sexual comments, and said Wallace asked why guests were not laughing at his jokes, and told them they should because he was the talent.
Wallace has been mocked on social media for blaming middle-class women of a certain age.
Some said Greg Wallace has done himself no favours and made things worse for himself by taking aim at the 13 women who have made a complaint, while others accused him of a blatantly misogynistic response to complaints about his allegedly sexist behaviour.
Many people took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to make fun of his post as they joked about his lawyers and PR firms reaction to the video.
One post read: Whichever PR firm advised Gregg Wallace to take on middle-class women of a certain age clearly hate him as well.
Bosses at the corporation are said to have hauled the MasterChef co-host into a meeting in 2018 following allegations of inappropriate sexual comments and told him to change his behaviour
Another featured a meme of Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation hammering his mobile phone with the caption: Gregg Wallaces lawyers driving to his house right now to remove his phone and laptop.
Radio presenter Julie Hartley-Brewer wrote: Spare a thought for Gregg Wallaces PR agent waking up this morning, with a meme of Chandler from Friends shouting What did you just do?
Comedian David Baddiel joked: Its not often that the internet gets behind middle-class, middle-aged women these days, but thanks to Gregg Wallace for making it happen.
A BBC spokesperson said: We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them. We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them.
It would be inappropriate for us to comment on anything that could form part of Banijays ongoing investigation or otherwise influence it.
Banijay UK, the shows production company, said the complaints were made to the BBC this week by individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with Gregg Wallace on one of our shows.
The company said Wallace was committed to fully co-operating throughout the process.
Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate, the company said.
While this review is under way, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully co-operating throughout the process.
Banijay UKs duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.
Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.
MailOnline has contacted Wallaces representatives for comment.
What has Gregg Wallace been accused of?
13 people who have told the BBC of what they consider inappropriate sexual comments made by Wallace across a range of shows over a 17-year period.
Some of those who have spoken out include:
Kirsty Wark
She says that Gregg would allegedly openly talk about his sex life on set
Other claims include:
Kirsty Wark said that Gregg would allegedly openly talk about his sex life on set
- Taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to give her a fashion show
- Telling a junior female colleague he was not wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans
- Allegedly entering the studio naked with his genitals covered with a sock and doing a silly dance
- Mimicking a sex act close to a member of production staff
- He told disgusting sex-related jokes, including one while tasting a contestants unusual dish
- She says that on two occasions Wallace relayed stories and jokes of a sexualised nature in front of contestants on Celebrity MasterChef and crew and that she felt they were really, really in the wrong place.
Dawn Elrick
The Director and producer said she sent a letter to the BBC in 2022 with a number of anonymous accounts from people who alleged they have experienced sexism within the TV industry.
Aasmah Mir
She says these included claims that Wallace was allegedly making lewd comments and asking for personal phone numbers of female production staff.
Aasmah Mir
Mir said Wallace allegedly made inappropriate comments during the filming of MasterChef.
Kirstie Allsopp
She said 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.
Kirstie Allsopp
She said she was left embarrassed a few years ago after Wallace made a reference to something [he and his partner] did in bed.
Emma Kennedy
Emma Kennedy
The actress who won Celebrity MasterChef in 2012 says she complained about his behaviour at the time.
She said it doesnt matter what the age of any woman is.
Sir Rod Stewart
Stewart suggested Wallace had humiliated his wife Penny Lancaster when she was on MasterChef.