Gregg Wallace has addressed claims he ‘took his trousers down’ while on the set of MasterChef – after being sacked for alleged misconduct on the show.
Gregg, 60, stepped down from MasterChef after complaints were made about his behaviour and following a report into his conduct, in which 45 of 83 complaints were upheld.
The review concluded that the ‘majority of the substantiated allegations against Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour’.
It added that ‘a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated’, with ‘one incident of unwelcome physical contact’ also substantiated.
But in a post on Instagram on Sunday Gregg made a statement about the claims, insisting there were ‘no findings in the investigation he took his trousers down in front of anybody’.
He said: ‘Would you like the truth about the stories regarding me taking my trousers down, listen. There are no findings in the investigation that I took my trousers down in front of anybody.
Gregg Wallace has addressed claims he ‘took his trousers down’ while on the set of MasterChef – after being sacked for alleged misconduct on the show
Gregg, 60, stepped down from MasterChef after complaints were made about his behaviour and following a report into his conduct, in which 45 of 83 complaints were upheld
‘And any claim that the investigation report says any different is simply not true, no matter where that comes from.
‘So I’ll say it one more time. There is no finding in the investigation that I took my trousers down in front of anybody. Any claim that the report says differently is not true.
‘I hope that clears it all up for you.’
He penned in the caption of his video: ‘The Truth – more to come.’
At the end of last month Gregg hit out at critics for comparing him to Jimmy Savile and Huw Edwards, insisting he is ‘not a groper, sex pest or a flasher’.
The former MasterChef host tearfully apologised to anyone he had hurt in the wake of dozens of allegations of inappropriate behaviour, including claims that he dropped his trousers in front of staff.
In his first interview since being sacked by the BBC in light of the complaints, Wallace broke down in tears as he spoke of the ‘hurt’ suffered by him and his family, insisting he had been unfairly treated in the media spotlight.
He told The Sun that he understood some of his actions may have offended people and ‘weren’t socially acceptable’ but denied being a ‘wrong-un’.
But in a post on Instagram on Sunday Gregg made a statement about the undressing claims. He said: ‘Would you like the truth about the stories regarding me taking my trousers down, listen…’
He added: ‘There are no findings in the investigation that I took my trousers down in front of anybody’
‘I’m not a groper. People think I’ve been taking my trousers down and exposing myself – I am not a flasher. People think I’m a sex pest. I am not,’ he added.
Wallace said that being discussed in the same breath as notorious sex offenders Savile and Edwards was ‘horrific’ and admitted he was scared to go outside in case people ‘abuse’ him in the street.
Wallace insisted he is ‘not trying to play the victim’ and claimed his autism diagnosis was partly responsible for some of his alleged behaviour as it means he struggles ‘to read people’ and can be perceived as ‘odd’ at times.
He also again defended allegations – which he claims have been ‘sexualised’ – that he would not wear underwear while working on the cooking show, saying it was due to his ‘hypersensitivity’ as a result of the condition.
The ex Eat Well for Less? presenter told the Sun that while he didn’t deny being guilty of some of the claims, he believed things had been ‘perceived incorrectly’.
Wallace claimed that he had worked with around 4,000 people, meaning that just 0.5 per cent of those he has worked with ‘found fault with me’.
He said his actions were the result of learned behaviour and workplace culture and claimed that his recent autism diagnosis also played a role.
‘I know I am odd. I know I struggle to read people. I know people find me weird. Autism is a disability, a registered disability,’ he said.
Wallace has faced backlash from autism charities over similar claims, with some accusing him of using autism as an excuse for his alleged inappropriate behaviour.
Seema Flower, founder of disabilities consultancy Blind Ambition, told BBC News there was ‘no excuse’ for being inappropriate to people in society. ‘Where does it leave us if we use autism as excuse to behave in whatever way we like?’ she asked.
Emily Banks, founder of neurodiversity training body Enna, also condemned Wallace.
The review concluded that the ‘majority of the substantiated allegations against Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour’
She said: ‘To be clear: being autistic is never an excuse for misconduct. It doesn’t absolve anyone of responsibility, and it certainly doesn’t mean you can’t tell the difference between right and wrong.’
While Dan Harris, who runs the charity Neurodiversity in Business and is himself autistic, said people like him ‘may miss social cues sometimes. But autism is not a free pass for bad behaviour.’
‘Comments like this stigmatize us and add an unfortunate negative focus on our community.’
Wallace has previously said he felt the BBC failed to provide enough support for his condition during his 20 years working on MasterChef.
‘My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef,’ Wallace said.
‘Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years.’
During the interview, Wallace also defended his sacked former co-host John Torode, telling the paper he is ‘not a racist’.
Torode was the subject of an allegation about using racist language that was upheld as part of a review carried out by law firm Lewis Silkin into the alleged behaviour of co-presenter Wallace.
Torode said he had ‘no recollection of the incident’ and was ‘shocked and saddened’ by the allegation.
Pointing to the allegation against Torode, Wallace told the Sun: ‘I’ve known John for 30 years and he is not a racist.’
His co-host John Torode (left) was also the subject of an allegation about using racist language and was also sacked from the show
‘There is no way that man is a racist. No way. And my sympathies go out to John because I don’t want anybody to go through what I’ve been through,’ he added.
Torode never defended his MasterChef colleague when allegations against him first emerged in December last year.
Wallace was said to be ‘furious’ with his former co-star and unfollowed him and his wife Lisa on Instagram.
Wallace admitted that he and Torode ‘never really did get on that well’, insisting they are ‘two very, very different characters’. But he went on to say they had made ‘bloody good telly together for 20 years’.
The latest series of MasterChef aired last week with Gregg and John heavily edited out.
