BBC rejects Gregg Wallace’s return to ‘MasterChef’

The BBC has officially ended its relationship with MasterChef star Gregg Wallace after the reveal of 45 allegations against him.

It was reported last week that over 50 people had approached the broadcaster to report the chef’s behaviour, with claims that he had pulled his pants down in front of a colleague and groped another.

He had already stepped back from the series back in November when his colleagues had accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

An investigation was conducted by a law firm hired by the production company for MasterChef, Banijay.

A total of 83 allegations were made against him, a majority centering sexual behaviour/language, while the rest included culturally insensitive comments. After the investigation, 45 of the complaints were upheld.

Wallace has denied any wrongdoing.

He was described as “energetic, humorous and generally able to put contestants at ease, which contributed to the show’s success,” however his actions and words on set “sometimes resulted in offense and/or left people feeling uncomfortable.”

Prior to the reveal of the report’s findings, he claimed that it excused him of “the most serious and sensational allegations.”

The report insisted that while the majority of his actions should be explained by “the context of his neurodiversity”, he “does not wish to hide behind it.”

In a statement posted to his Instagram, he said, “Nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years… I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience. I was tried by media and hung out to dry well before the facts were established.”

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