Gregg Wallace has admitted ‘defeat’ and accepted his career is over in the wake of an investigation by a production company into his alleged sexual harassment and groping.
The TV presenter, 60, stepped away from MasterChef after 13 people, including Newsnight host Kirsty Wark, accused him of ‘wrong’ and inappropriate ‘sexualised’ behaviour during filming.
The claims are across a 17-year period and include those of inappropriate behaviour, including roaming around on set naked with a sock on his penis, inappropriate jokes and two claims of groping crew members.
In October Gregg vehemently denied that he had made inappropriate sexual comments towards women, declaring that he would never ‘flirt with’ or ‘hit on’ another woman and: ‘I didn’t say anything sexual’.
A source has now told MailOnline that Gregg has told friends that he ‘accepts his TV career is basically at an end.’
They revealed that Gregg is being ‘quite reflective and pragmatic’ about the investigation and has concluded he has ‘had a good run and done well for a bloke who was basically a greengrocer.’
Gregg set up his own fruit and vegetable business – earning himself the nickname ‘Gregg the Veg’ from friends – in 1989 and supplied restaurants including Quaglinos, where young Aussie chef John Torode was working.
Irish TV chef Anna Haugh is reportedly a favourite to replace Gregg and join John on the popular TV show.
While this year’s Masterchef Christmas specials have been pulled from the TV schedule there is also discussion that the BBC will be removing historic shows featuring him due to the nature of the complaints.
MailOnline have contacted the BBC for comment. Gregg’s representatives refused to comment when approached by MailOnline.
Other allegations include talking openly about his sex life on set, with details of intimate acts, flirting with crew members and asking younger female colleagues for their numbers.
Meanwhile The Sun has reported the star has stopped using his legal team as he believes he will be sacked from MasterChef and has resigned to his fate.
The presenter has reportedly turned down crisis-publicity teams in the weeks after several women complained he had groped or harassed them.
He announced he was stepping away from presenting MasterChef after nearly 20 years last month, while an investigation into his alleged misconduct is carried out.
Earlier this week Penny Lancaster broke her silence after her husband Rod Stewart slammed the host, saying she had been a ‘victim and witness’ to Gregg’s bullying.
She said: ‘I most definitely was witness and victim to some of the bullying and harassment behaviour of Gregg Wallace. And unfortunately a lot of those in the production team were also witness to that.’
She went on: ‘I really feel that he used his position of power to I believe intimidate and cause distress to a lot of people on set.
‘And it’s really unfortunate that someone like him is allowed to get away with that while other stands by and let it happen at the same time. And it’s obvious that a lot of people have come forward.’
Following his exit, singer Rod issued a furious rant at the presenter, calling him a ‘tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully’ for ‘humiliating’ wife Penny when she appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in 2021.
Explaining the decision behind Rod’s angry post, Penny said: ‘My husband when he heard people talking about the disturbing behaviors, he couldn’t hold back.
‘Protective husband thought, “I’m not going to stay silent I need to say something,” because he realised how upset I was at the time.’
The BBC claims Gregg walked away from MasterChef after BBC News sent a letter to his agent on Tuesday, setting out allegations from 13 people and giving him a right of reply.
They say he was warned after a complaint was raised in 2018, but new historical claims emerged over the summer of 2024.
Gregg is ‘committed to fully cooperating throughout the process’, the show’s production company Banijay UK said.
Gregg will be on BBC One as usual on Thursday night because MasterChef: The Professionals, which is already recorded, will transmit as planned and into December. MasterChef’s Christmas specials will also still be broadcast.
The chef has since thanked people for their support following accusations he mimicked a sex act and wandered into the MasterChef studio ‘completely naked’ apart from a ‘sock covering his penis’.
Gregg is accused mimicking a sex act in front of a member of the show’s production staff who was kneeling down to clean his trousers during filming, according to the lurid and so-far unsubstantiated allegations.
The grocer turned presenter is also accused of making ‘disgusting sex-related jokes’, including one about an ‘aunt’ while tasting a contestant’s dish during the show.
In a video posted on Instagram last month, he said: ‘I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reach out and showing their support.
‘That’s good of you, thank you very much.’
