An external investigation led by lawyers is being conducted by MasterChef producers regarding Gregg Wallace due to numerous accusations of misconduct against the TV personality.
Banijay UK has enlisted the services of the prominent legal firm Lewis Silkin to probe into the allegations raised by a minimum of 13 women, involving inappropriate behavior such as making sexual remarks and exposing oneself to colleagues.
Following the initial reports of misconduct last Thursday, additional allegations have surfaced from former MasterChef participants and others, alleging instances of Wallace engaging in inappropriate touching and misconduct towards them and others.
Lewis Silkin had previously been retained by the production company to investigate allegations made about Russell Brand while he worked on Big Brother spin-off shows that were produced by the firm Endemol Shine, which Banijay purchased in 2020.
Banijay has urged anyone who wishes to raise further concerns to get in touch with the law firm via a specially created email address.
A Banijay UK spokesperson said: ‘Lewis Silkin is a major City law firm with a highly experienced specialist investigations team which has overseen a broad range of high-profile workplace investigations.
‘Banijay UK has been impressed by the firm’s rigorous, in-depth, and impartial analysis and reporting.’
They said anyone wishing to raise further concerns could contact the investigation team via [email protected].
MasterChef producers Banijay UK have instructed a top City firm to investigate allegations of misconduct against Gregg Wallace
Accusations have mounted since Wallace, 60, was accused of inappropriate behaviour by 13 women on Thursday
Legal firm Lewis Silkin previously investigated allegations against Russell Brand from the era when he presented other Banijay programmes including Big Brother’s Big Mouth (pictured)
Wallace’s latest post featured a gingerbread man in whipped cream at the top of a glass, captioned: ‘Enjoy your weekend’
Lewis Silkin’s investigation into Russell Brand came about following an investigation by Channel 4 Dispatches and The Sunday Times into allegations over the comedian’s treatment of women.
It spent 385 hours poring over emails, correspondence and interviews with current and former Banijay staff – before concluding no formal complaints were ever raised about Brand, though a number of informal complaints were made but never escalated.
Wallace, meanwhile, has continued posting on social media amid the investigations, promoting a Black Friday sale on his weight loss plans on Saturday after sharing a cryptic message earlier in the day.
The 60-year-old has peppered social media with tiny messages since stepping back from the cookery show after detailed allegations about inappropriate behaviour were reported earlier this week.
He has been accused of making inappropriate sexual comments towards 13 women who worked with him across 17 years on various TV programmes.
Since then, he has been accused by Rod Stewart of being a ‘bully’ towards his wife Penny Lancaster and by Ulrika Jonsson of making jokes about rape, and by other witnesses of wandering naked through the MasterChef studio with a sock covering his penis.
Last night, actress and lawyer Emma Kennedy further accused him of groping a camera assistant during a 2012 photoshoot.
She is one of three people who made allegations of groping last night, alongside an anonymous contestant who said he put his hands on her hips and pressed into her from behind, and another who said he squeezed her backside in a pub.
In the days since the accusations emerged, Wallace has made a number of posts on social media – some of which allude to current events, and others that don’t.
On Thursday night, he posted a short video in which he thanked fans for their ‘support’, and yesterday shared a video of Bloomsburys, a ‘cafe and wellness hub’ describing itself as a ‘retreat’ hub, set to Pink Floyd’s Bike.
He also shared a newspaper column written by William Sitwell, the Daily Telegraph’s restaurant critic, which described him as having ‘a mouth like (controversial comedian) Bernard Manning – but he’s a top bloke’.
And earlier this morning, Wallace posted his most cryptic post yet, depicting a gingerbread man in whipped cream, at the top of a glass. It was simply captioned: ‘Enjoy your weekend.’
A total of 13 people, including Kirsty Wark, complained about Wallace’s conduct while working with him over a 17-year period across five shows, from 2005 to 2022, the BBC revealed.
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 wasn’t wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans.
The BBC presenter also allegedly made ‘racist’ remarks about an Asian MasterChef contestant on the show.
According to a former staff member who worked on the production, Wallace would make the inappropriate remarks just after the contestant walked off the set, which included ‘kung fu noises’.
Wallace also allegedly said ‘me so horny’ – as said in the film Full Metal Jacket and sampled in the 1989 2 Live Crew song of the same name.
Last night, three women told The Sun of claims of groping by Wallace – either first-hand, or witnessed.
One former contestant, who wished to remain anonymous, said Wallace groped her as she was cooking on set – and ‘had her card marked’ for not seeing it as banter.
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
Wallace pictured at home with his wife, Anne-Marie Sterpini, who is more than 20 years his junior
Emma Kennedy (far left) claimed the PR team who worked for MasterChef were aware of Wallace’s (middle right) behaviour and worried it was only a matter of time before it became public
One former contestant, who wished to remain anonymous, has today accused Wallace of groping her while she was cooking on the set of the show
She said he was ‘an absolute b******’ towards her after she then scalded her hand on a hot tap, calling her a ‘stupid cow’. She did not report it, claiming she ‘did not see the point’ in doing so.
Another woman who met Wallace at the Ideal Home Show in London claimed he squeezed her backside at a pub and said he couldn’t look her in the eyes because he was aroused. The next day, he allegedly pretended the incident hadn’t happened.
Again, the woman did not make a complaint, because she said she feared repercussions.
Comedian and actress Emma Kennedy also said she witnessed Wallace groping a camera assistant – adding that MasterChef’s publicity team had been aware of his behaviour.
‘They knew then. They knew before then and they’ve known since,’ Kennedy said.
It was previously reported by the Times back in May last year that he had also allegedly offended female staff members at the Nestlé UK factory in York with comments about their weight during a ‘friendly’ conversation.
And in another instance of inappropriate behaviour, a shocking video re-emerged of Wallace approaching 2013 MasterChef contestant Katy Brand in the kitchen and remarking he would ‘munch the living daylights out of her little tart’.
‘I took it as an innuendo-laden remark at the time, and I still see it that way now,’ Brand said after the video resurfaced.
The grocer turned broadcaster has insisted that it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
But singer Rod Stewart labelled him an ‘ill-mannered bully’ who ‘humiliated’ his wife Penny Lancaster when she appeared on Celebrity Masterchef in 2021.
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’
The grocer turned broadcaster has insisted that it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature (seen here on Inside the Factory)
Following Gregg’s departure, Rod Stewart released a statement to Instagram branding him a ‘tubby bully’
MailOnline revealed on Friday afternoon that some of Wallace’s friends blamed his conduct on a secret autism condition.
A close therapist friend of Wallace, who did not want to be named, claims the MasterChef judge has never been tested for autism.
They say this is because he feels he may have passed down the neurological and developmental disorder to his four-year son Sid, who is severely autistic and non-verbal.
And they believe the condition may have contributed to his alleged inappropriateness on set, which has seen him step down from his role on the BBC1 series after 17 years, following an external investigation.
The friend said: ‘Gregg carries many of the autistic symptoms, the people who know him best have been saying it for years.
‘He’s never formally been tested, due a feeling of responsibility over Sid’s diagnosis, but he really should be as it may explain a lot about his actions.
‘Gregg has form for his inability to read the room, saying things that don’t really belong in the moment. He has no filter and in social situations that can become dangerous, especially when it comes to jokes about sex.
‘He has a light filter when it comes to sex which is common in people on the spectrum. In the modern world of TV where you can’t just dismiss some of his actions as banter.
Wallace’s mother, Mary Pettman, spoke about her son’s welfare after the allegations broke.
She told MailOnline: ‘He’s fine. I speak to my son quite regularly and he is fine.’
On the probe, she added: ‘I have no idea what it’s about. You will have to speak to him.’
The MasterChef claims come after previous reports Wallace made sexual comments while filming Impossible Celebrities in 2018, and that he quit Inside the Factory after making comments about female workers’ weight.
He previously said he stepped back from the show to spend more time with his son Sid.
Wallace, who is married to Anne-Marie Sterpini, a woman 21 years his junior, is cooperating with an external investigation conducted by MasterChef production company Banijay UK.
‘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,’ Banijay UK said.
‘While this review is underway, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully cooperating throughout the process.’
MailOnline has contacted Wallace’s representatives for comment.
