EXCLUSIVEI worked with Gregg Wallace when I was in my early 20s - he asked me if I had daddy fantasies: TV crew make new claims about MasterChef hosts behaviour
Gregg Wallace has been accused of asking a young female crew member if she has daddy fantasies in a new slew of allegations about his behaviour behind the scenes.
Gregg Wallace has been accused of asking a young female crew member if she has daddy fantasies in a new slew of allegations about his behaviour behind the scenes.
The MasterChef host stepped aside after 13 people told the BBC of what they consider inappropriate sexual comments made by him over a 17-year period.
But despite the presenter initially seeking to write off his accusers as a handful of middle class women of a certain age, two members of staff, both aged in their early 20s and one of them a man, have come forward with more claims about his behaviour.
One, a longstanding female TV employee who worked with Wallace as a researcher in the early 2010s painted a damning picture of incessant sexual language.
She claimed he made shockingly vulgar remarks about women, asked if she had daddy fantasies or was into BDSM, and even told her I could fall in love with you.
Another male media professional, who worked as a runner for both Gregg and MasterChef co-presenter John Torode, shared a similar tale of relentless jokes, boasts about his sex life, and a tendency to walk around topless to show off his physique.
Wallace later apologised for any offence caused by the remark about middle class women.
His lawyers say it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
Greg Wallace (right) with his MasterChef co-host John Torode (left) in 2021
The researcher
The researcher worked with Wallace early in her television career and said she was initially enthusiastic about landing a job alongside the MasterChef star.
She told MailOnline: I was really excited to be working with Gregg because I had watched MasterChef, I was a big fan, I thought he seemed fun so I went into it really wanting it to go well. That was my first series working with talent, I didnt know what to expect, and it was very disappointing.
One of the womans roles was to drive members of the production to and from set, which meant always driving Gregg to locations by herself - giving him time with her alone.
She said: From the moment we had our first journey together, he was saying things that made me feel uncomfortable, his comments started almost straight away.
MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace has stepped away from the show in the face of an avalanche of allegations against him
I remember thinking about how to shut it down, but in ways that wasnt going to offend the talent. I didnt want to inconvenience the crew. The crazy thing is I was trying to stop him feeling uncomfortable. I dont necessarily blame the production staff. No one ever pulled him up on his behaviour.
He always wanted to show me photos of his girlfriend, tell how beautiful she was, hed tell me she is this tall in stockinged feet, or tell me about having sex with younger women, or ask my opinion on bracelets he was buying for his girlfriend.
However, at times she said the comments escalated from creepy to outright vulgar.
She said: On location hed frequently make very sexual jokes. Once I was crouched next to him and he said "my gf has a tattoo of a shell on her inner thigh, when you put your ear to it you can smell the sea."
There was no-one else is in earshot but he had a mic on, so it felt like there was a bravado element to it.
That night we all went for dinner and the waitress came over with a comment card, she probably wasnt over 21, me and the director were diligently filling it out, we asked him if he wanted to add anything and his response was What, like I want to c** on your face?
Worse was to come on the second day of filming as Wallaces remarks began to turn personal.
She said: The next day he was asking lots of questions, he looked me in the eye and said I could fall in love with you. He started asking about my sex life. What I was into? Was I into S&M? Did I have daddy fantasies?
The unnamed researcher said: The sight of his little Millwall tattoo stays with you. He enjoyed being topless and seeing you squirm
A TV runner who also worked with Wallace said he saw Wallace topless many times - a common theme among the many allegations against Wallace
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
In October, Gregg denied claims he boasted about his sex life to a younger female BBC employee and took his top off in front of her while filming a game show, saying he would never flirt with or hit on another woman
I didnt want to make things awkward because I knew I still had to drive him for the next few days, and this was pre-Me Too.
Another complaint was that the TV star loved to strip down to the waist in front of crew - a running theme in the allegations against Mr Wallace - and to make unwanted physical contact.
She said: The other thing he did was take his top off. The sight of his little Millwall tattoo stays with you. He enjoyed being topless and seeing you squirm.
Its a habit. I read recently after the story broke about him being topless in front of cast members and I realized it was a pattern, not a one-off.
He did invade your personal space a lot too, putting your arm around you, giving you a cuddle. It wasnt something you had a choice in.
Overall the experience of working with Wallace was a profoundly negative one and the woman swore never to be on another production with him again.
It made me feel uncomfortable and a bit trapped. I knew if I said something Id have a problem, I was early in my career and didnt want to rock the boat, she said.
Accusations have mounted since Wallace, 60, was accused of inappropriate behaviour by 13 women on Thursday
Former Celebrity Masterchef winner Emma Kennedy revealed she reported Wallace 12 years ago after she allegedly witnessed him grope a camera assistant during a photoshoot for the 2012 finals
Emma Kennedy (far left) claimed the PR team who worked for MasterChef were aware of Wallaces (middle right) behaviour and worried it was only a matter of time before it became public
Gregg Wallace lashed out at middle-class women of a certain age in a rant on his Instagram story as he discussed the accusations
Ive spoken about it to friends and colleagues - it did put me off wanting to work on anything again that hed be part of.
The woman said their paths have not crossed since, although her parents did randomly happen to be on the same cruise as Wallace once - much to their horror.
She said: They messaged me and were like Ugh that horrible man is here. They said they were disgusted.
In the more than a decade since they worked together, Wallace has gone on to become a household name, earning £400,000 a year from the BBC and receiving an MBE in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to food and charity.
How then did it feel seeing him achieve such success?
The researcher said: I really like MasterChef, although me and my husband take the piss out of him whenever hes on screen. I like the bits without him. Hes a contrived character - the fact people are now shocked at all the sexualised stuff he says, hes either says a lot and its all are edited out or he doesnt say it when cameras are rolling.
Because his whole persona is built around banter, you dont want to be seen as not being able to take a joke.
Asked how she feels watching Wallace leave MasterChef, with an investigation ongoing, the researcher admits she does feel a sense of relief.
Wallaces latest post featured a gingerbread man in whipped cream at the top of a glass, captioned: Enjoy your weekend
She said: Seeing him succeed was hard but seeing him held accountable feels good - but we have to remember that at the moment its nothing firm, its still only being looked into.
It feels unsurprising. Ive been waiting for it for a long time. Its sad that its gone as deep as it has and so many people have been affected by his behaviour. Part of me is happy that hes finally being held accountable for behaviour that has gone on for over a decade.
Its not for me to judge if theres a route back for him or not, but I dont think it would be a positive thing for him to get a second chance, because I think hes probably been given a lot of second chances and ignored them.
If you think of the breadth of talent that exists in TV, its a hard argument to make that hes somehow indispensable despite his actions.
I hope he has time to reflect on his own behaviour. The thing that is most uncomfortable is that he didnt target the men with those jokes - which makes it feel very predatory.
Asked about the claims made by friends of Wallace that his actions are down to autism, the unnamed woman gives the suggestion short shrift.
She said: There are lots of people on the spectrum who dont behave how he does, so to use neurodiversity as an excuse feels offensive. Sure, some people cant read the room - but ultimately Im less interested in his defence than the impact of his behaviour.
One: he shouldnt behave like that and two: he was enabled to behave like that by some very senior people. His ways are common knowledge in the industry.
The 60-year-old was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 2023 for services to food and charity
Questions now remain about if Mr Wallace may have to return his honours following the spate of accusations made against him
Wallace pictured with his wife, Anne-Marie Sterpini, who he met on Twitter and who is more than 20 years his junior
The runner
The runner, a man with a seasoned career in TV, also worked with Wallace early in his career - and while his experiences are not as extreme, he says Wallace is by far the most difficult celebrity he has worked with.
Corroborating the claims of the researcher, he also cites Wallaces regime of relentless jokes, frequent talks about sexual topics and an obsession with showing off his body in public.
He said: Before I started the job I only knew him as the guy from MasterChef, although I knew he came from grocery store background and that he was kind of funny.
Initially we bonded over food and his jokes just glided over me - but they were relentless. And then he started in on jibes about my nationality, which quickly tipped over into what felt like bullying.
Im not sure he always meant harm, but he caused it anyway. He was seeking a reaction. The jokes were constant, you couldnt have a normal conversation.
Id come in the morning and my heart would sink when I saw him. In general just a nasty guy to be around.
Like the researcher, the runner saw Wallace topless many times and said he loved to boast about his sex life to crew members.
He said: He would talk about sex a lot. Hed talk about his sex life, hed make comments about people being fat.
Hed make these jokes, no-one would laugh, but then hed carry on doing it. Hed also talk about his wife all the time and how young she was.
Kirsty Wark (left) and Gregg Wallace during her time on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011
As with the unnamed researcher. the runner noted that Wallace was touchy feely with everyone, he felt very entitled to touch everyone.
He added: I saw him shirtless many times, making it feel like it was casual but really wanting to show off his body. Look at my muscles, Im 65.
The runner was complimentary about working with many of Wallaces co-hosts, including Monika Galetti.
He said: Monika was amazing, so lovely. She made jokes as well - and they were actually funny.
Ive worked with a lot of celebrities and Gregg Wallace was definitely the worst.
However, he noted that another of Wallaces co-host, chef John Torode, kept his distance from Wallace.
The runner said: He took the job much more seriously, he was more prepared. They didnt really interact much, when they werent shooting John would stay in his green room.
Whereas Gregg would mingle with the crew and laud it up, he treated the set like it was his second home, which in many ways it was.
Eagle-eyed views have noticed tension moments between Greg Wallace and Kirsty Wark during her appearance on MasterChef in 2011
It was only really when I left the show I realized how inappropriate a lot of the things he said were.
It feels good to know its out there, even having lived a very limited version of what some people have lived though. I remember thinking How has this guy had such a public profile for so long when he acts like this?
A total of 13 people, including Kirsty Wark, complained about Wallaces conduct while working with him over a 17-year period across five shows, from 2005 to 2022, the BBC revealed last week.
The presenter was accused of taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to give her a fashion show and talking about his sex life to others, including telling one female colleague he wasnt wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans.
Ms Walk claimed that on two occasions Wallace told stories and jokes of a sexualised nature in front of contestants and crew while filming Celebrity MasterChef in 2011. She said his gags and comments were really, really in the wrong place.
Former Celebrity Masterchef winner Emma Kennedy revealed she reported Wallace 12 years ago after she allegedly witnessed him grope a camera assistant during a photoshoot for the 2012 finals.
Kennedys accusation was only one of three bombshell claims of groping that have been made against Wallace, with a City law firm called in by production company Banijay UK to lead the investigation into the claims.
Pop legend Rod Stewarts wife Penny Lancaster also came forward to claim she was prepared to go to authorities to discuss what happened during cut scenes with MasterChefs Gregg Wallace after the host stepped down from the BBC show amid a series of misconduct claims.
After the allegations against Wallace leaked, her husband posted on Instagram: So Greg [sic] Wallace gets fired from Master Chef.
Penny Lancaster said she is prepared to talk to authorities to discuss her treatment by MasterChefs Gregg Wallace
Pop legend Rod Stewart released a statement on Instagram branding Wallace a tubby bully and reveling in his downfall
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.
Good riddance Wallace... You humiliated my wife when she was on the show, but you had that bit cut out didnt you?
Youre a tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully. Karma got ya. Sir Rod Stewart
The reports against Wallace are a world away from comments he made in 2013 when, speaking to Kate Thornton on her White Wine Question Time podcast, Gregg said: You cant chat anyone up at work because the HR department would sack you.
Greg Wallaces representatives have been approached for comment.
