Former Presenter Melanie Sykes Blames Gregg Wallace for Her Decision to Leave TV: Judge on MasterChef Criticized for Being Unprofessional and Arrogant

Melanie Sykes made a surprising revelation about her experience on Celebrity MasterChef in 2021 with Gregg Wallace. She shared that this encounter led her to walk away from her television career. Vanessa Feltz also came forward claiming that Sykes told a risqué anecdote about Wallace and his wife in a BBC elevator.

In her book, the 54-year-old former presenter recounted how Wallace’s initial question to her on the show, inquiring if models actually consume food, struck her as ‘unprofessional’ and filled with ‘ignorance and disrespect’.

Sykes also said the grocer-turned broadcaster, 60, spent time ‘barking orders’ in such a manner that made her want to leave the show.

And Wallace apparently told her that appearing on his show would do a lot for her career prospects.

Recalling the moment, Sykes expressed, ‘I was at a loss for words, so I simply smiled and replied “yes.” However, internally, I was thinking, “Yes, you have ultimately helped me make the decision to permanently step away from my television career”.’

Melanie said she made an informal complaint against Wallace, and claimed she found conduct on the MasterChef set ‘jaw-dropping’. 

Broadcaster Vanessa Feltz last night claimed that Wallace had described a sex act he had performed on his wife while in a BBC lift with her friend.

And a former MasterChef staffer, who worked on the show from 2007 to 2010, claimed she was aware of at least six production members who raised concerns about Wallace’s conduct. Wallace claimed over the weekend that complaints were from a ‘handful of middle-class women of a certain age’.

Mel Sykes is best known for the Boddingtons advert in the 1990s and as the co-host of Today with Des and Mel in the early 2000s. 

She made the comments about Wallace in her autobiography, titled Illuminated, which was published last year, and expanded on them in recent days in a video posted on YouTube. 

In her book, Sykes wrote: ‘The MasterChef experience continued to be an eye-opener, and some unprofessional behaviour on set was jaw-dropping.’ 

In her recent YouTube video she said that ‘every time Gregg came over to the desk, I didn’t really like him being around really because it’s all about vibrations and energy’.

At the end of filming the show, Sykes claimed she had a brief conversation with Wallace, which was a huge factor in her exit from television. 

It is not known who Sykes made an informal complaint about Wallace to.

Last night broadcaster Vanessa Feltz became the latest star to speak out against Wallace, claiming he had described a sex act he had performed on his wife while in a BBC lift with her friend.

Speaking on her YouTube channel, she said: ‘My friend did not know Greg Wallace. Had never met him before, and in the lift was a young girl who worked on another show.

‘So the three of them were going up in the lift together and completely unprompted Greg Wallace described a sex act that he had performed on his then-wife that morning.

‘So my friend had not met Greg Wallace before, hadn’t asked him about his sex life. Was simply taking him to participate in a BBC programme, and the young lady in the lift was just an innocent passenger.

‘So this is something that a very close friend and associate of mine told me about at the time.

‘What did anyone do about it? Of course, absolutely nothing.’

MailOnline has contacted his representatives for comment.

Wallace last week stepped away from hosting the show after nearly 20 years. His absence comes while allegations of inappropriate comments he made towards staff and celebrity guests over 17 years are investigated. 

The presenter has defended himself against all the allegations against him, pinning the blame on ‘middle class women of a certain age’. But on Monday he apologised for his controversial comments, admitting he was ‘not in a good head space’ when he posted the rant.

Banijay UK, the show’s production company, previously said the complaints were made to the BBC 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 UK’s 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.’

It comes as TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp also claimed Wallace discussed a sex act involving his partner ‘within an hour’ of meeting him.

She told the Mail last night that the show should be taken off air ‘if the majority’ of the people working on it felt that was the right decision.

She said: ‘A television show is a team effort and therefore whether it goes out or not should be down to them.

‘If a majority of people on the show think it should not go ahead then it should come off air.

‘I love the BBC, but this is a really difficult problem for them.’

Gregg Wallace has said sorry for claiming ‘middle class women of a certain age’ caused his MasterChef demise – but it has already been branded a ‘classic’ non-apology.

The presenter, 60, apologised after his controversial comments on Instagram over the weekend caused another PR storm, blaming ‘a huge amount of stress’ and ‘a lot of emotion’ for the error.

The U-turn came hours after an insider told MailOnline he had ‘gone rogue’ and was ignoring ‘all advice’ about how to salvage his TV career following the scandal.

Wallace, who has stepped back from the BBC’s MasterChef while allegations into alleged sexual misconduct are investigated, said: ‘I want to apologise for any offence that I caused with my post yesterday and any upset I have caused to a lot of people’.

TV psychologist Jo Hemmings said: ‘When is an apology, not an apology? Gregg Wallace backtracking on his misogyny to salvage his career, but no regrets about his long-term inappropriate behaviour’.

One social media responded: ‘Gregg Wallace did not apologise for his comment and thoughts, he apologised if it caused offence. Standard non apology, apology’.

In response to Gregg’s latest video today, polling firm YouGov shared research that revealed that one in three Britons don’t consider ‘I am sorry for any offence caused’ to be a proper apology, although 60 per cent did.

Their survey, from 2018, found the phrase used by Wallace was considered by some as a ‘common cop-out’ that can suggest ‘that it’s the fault of the offended for being so’. 

The most sincere wording for an apology, according to Britons they spoke to, is either: ‘I sincerely apologise’ or ‘I apologise unreservedly’.

It came as Sir Keir Starmer condemned the grocer turned broadcaster as ‘completely inappropriate and misogynistic’ for blaming ‘middle class women of a certain’ age for his MasterChef ruination. 

Wallace is facing claims from at least 13 women who have accused him of inappropriate behaviour, including roaming around on set naked with a sock on his penis, inappropriate jokes and groping crew members.

In a fresh video on social media, the under-fire presenter said of his middle class women slur: ‘I wasn’t in a good headspace when I posted it. I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion.

‘I felt very alone [and] under siege yesterday when I posted it. It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out now while this investigation is underway.

‘I hope you understand and I do hope that you can accept my apology.’

Wallace’s lawyers say ‘it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature’. 

It came as Sir Keir Starmer said Wallace was ‘completely inappropriate and misogynistic’ for blaming ‘middle class women of a certain’ age for his MasterChef ruination amid growing pressure on the BBC to take the show off air.

And in a further sign of Wallace’s fury, he has today unfollowed co-host John Torode and his wife on social media. 

After spending nearly two decades presenting Britain’s best-loved cooking show together, the legacy of famed duo Gregg Wallace and John Torode appears to have come crashing down in just a matter of months.

Torode has not uttered a word on Wallace’s MasterChef exit, despite working together since 2005.

But previous comments in which he admitted he had never been a ‘friend’ of Wallace’s, as well as claims about them moving to opposite sides of the room when the cameras cut, show that all was not well in their partnership.