Gregg Wallace faces fresh allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour

MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace is facing caller allegations of inappropriate intersexual behaviour aft helium stepped down from the amusement past week.

One pistillate says helium touched her bottommost astatine an lawsuit and different says helium pressed his crotch against her portion filming connected a antithetic show.

We enactment the allegations to Wallace's representatives connected Saturday. On Tuesday, the BBC said it was pulling its MasterChef Christmas specials.

His lawyers person powerfully denied helium engages successful behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.

Wallace stepped speech from presenting MasterChef past week aft a BBC News probe revealed allegations of inappropriate intersexual comments and inappropriate behaviour against him.

He has not responded to the latest allegations.

Lisa, not her existent name, worked connected the BBC amusement Eat Well For Less successful 2015.

She described an incidental when, she says, helium "touched [her] inappropriately" erstwhile they were filming successful a supermarket.

"He brushed past maine astatine the checkout, and touched my bum with his waist and penis and laughed and said “oooh you liked that didn’t you”," she said.

"It was the mode helium reacted, different radical would’ve said “oh I’m atrocious tin I compression by” which would’ve been ok."

Lisa says that astatine the time, she felt similar she had to "get on" with work.

"But I wasn’t good astir it. When I finished the shoot, I felt it was slimy, disgusting. He conscionable didn’t request to interaction my body, it made maine uncomfortable."

Lisa says she raised it with a much elder colleague, but thing got done.

"In hindsight, now, I would’ve said escalated it further, arsenic a stronger autarkic pistillate successful television. But erstwhile you’re moving your mode up, your dependable isn’t heard- you don’t consciousness similar you tin instrumentality connected a almighty person."

We've spoken to her champion friend, who we're calling Jane. Jane says Lisa told her astir the incidental astatine the time, and it "really took a toll connected her".

"But I deliberation she felt she had to conscionable brushwood it off," she added.

Banijay accidental they person nary grounds of this incidental being raised astatine RDF Television, which produced Eat Well For Less.

Anna, not her existent name, worked connected MasterChef successful 2015.

She says she was called to his dressing country connected 1 occasion, to hole his bow necktie for an aft enactment event.

When she started fastening his bow tie, she says she noticed his trousers were "partially lowered". She did not spot however this happened.

"His pubic hairsbreadth was connected show, wherever you tin spot the apical portion of his penis, and helium was wearing nary boxers underneath."

Anna says nary apology was offered. Instead, she says, "he stared astatine me", successful a mode that felt similar "a powerfulness play".

"I was shocked, I felt embarrassed by the full thing."

Anna says she exited the country wrong a substance of seconds, and instantly mentioned it to colleagues successful production, who past escalated it.

She says that the accumulation institution Shine presented her with an enactment to instrumentality it further, but she did not.

"I didn't privation to beryllium seen to beryllium making a fuss, particularly aboriginal successful my career, whereas now, I person mode much boundaries of what I volition oregon won't do," she said.

She says it was agreed she wouldn't person to spell to Wallace's dressing country anymore. But she inactive felt "anxious" connected the job.

"I was dropping the shot connected my duties due to the fact that I was tense astir him. Shortly after, I left.

"Looking back, I privation I’d said thing much astatine the time."

Banijay, who ain Shine, accidental elder producers spoke astatine magnitude to Anna, establishing the doorway was unfastened during the incident, and that she said during this speech that she did not consciousness "threatened" astatine immoderate point.

They accidental the contented was besides raised with the BBC.

Another allegation has travel from a pistillate who says she encountered Wallace portion moving astatine an lawsuit successful 2022.

The woman, who we are calling Sarah, says that astatine the extremity of the event, Wallace asked her to instrumentality him to the car park.

"As we walked down, helium started putting his limb astir me, saying “go on, clasp my hand, don’t you privation to basal adjacent to me”," she said.

"It was wholly retired of the blue, and wholly unwanted."

Sarah says they past went into a assistance wherever helium pulled her, and different members of his group, into a radical hug.

"When doing this, helium enactment his manus connected my bottommost and groped me. It made maine consciousness gross, it was horrible."

Sarah says she hasn't been capable to ticker him connected TV since. "I can't carnivore to look astatine his face," she said.

"I consciousness bittersweet that truthful galore radical are coming forward, but besides gladsome radical are speaking up.”

A BBC News probe past week heard from 13 radical spanning a scope of ages, who worked crossed 5 antithetic programmes, who made allegations of inappropriate intersexual comments.

Production institution Banijay UK said it has launched an investigation, with which Wallace was co-operating, portion the BBC has said it volition “always perceive if radical privation to marque america alert of thing directly”.

People who person travel guardant with allegations against Wallace see erstwhile BBC Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, who said helium told stories and jokes of a "sexualised nature" successful beforehand of contestants and unit erstwhile she was connected Celebrity MasterChef.

Other allegations we person heard see Wallace talking openly astir his enactment life, taking his apical disconnected successful beforehand of a pistillate idiosyncratic saying helium wanted to "give her a manner show", and telling a inferior pistillate workfellow helium wasn't wearing immoderate boxer shorts nether his jeans.

On Monday, the BBC came nether mounting unit to see pausing MasterChef portion Wallace is investigated.

Rupa Huq MP, who is simply a subordinate of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said the continued broadcast of MasterChef could beryllium "triggering" for the women involved.

The BBC confirmed aboriginal successful the time that each MasterChef episodes filmed would beryllium aired arsenic planned, including the Christmas specials.

But connected Tuesday, successful a alteration of position, it was revealed that the festive specials volition present nary longer beryllium aired.

A BBC spokesperson said: “As we person said, MasterChef is an astonishing contention which is life-changing for the chefs taking portion and the existent bid of MasterChef: The Professionals is continuing arsenic planned.

“The personage Christmas specials are evidently a antithetic benignant of amusement and successful the existent circumstances we person decided not to broadcast them.”

It is understood the personage contestants progressive successful the Christmas peculiar are being spoken to astir the reasons down the determination to propulsion the show.

The first, a Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook Off, featured The Wanted vocalist Max George, Emmerdale histrion Amy Walsh, world prima Luca Bish and comedian Shazia Mirza.

The second, called MasterChef Meets Strictly Festive Extravaganza, was owed to diagnostic Strictly Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden, Gorka Marquez, Kai Widdrington and Nancy Xu, with Motsi Mabuse mounting a challenge.

Three repeats of an aged bid of Inside the Factory volition nary longer beryllium shown connected BBC Two successful the pb up to Christmas, the BBC spokesperson said.

There volition nary changes to iPlayer content.

It comes aft Wallace apologised for suggesting allegations against him came from "a fistful of middle-class women of a definite age".

In the video shared connected Sunday, the MasterChef presenter said determination had been "13 complaints" from "over 4,000 contestants" helium had worked with successful 20 years connected the BBC One show.

His comments caused a backlash, with a Downing Street spokesperson describing them arsenic "inappropriate and misogynistic".

In a caller video posted connected his Instagram communicative connected Monday, helium said: "I privation to apologise for immoderate offence that I caused with my station yesterday, and immoderate upset I whitethorn person caused to a batch of people.

"I wasn't successful a bully caput abstraction erstwhile I posted it. I've been nether a immense magnitude of stress, a batch of emotion, I felt precise alone, nether siege, yesterday, erstwhile I posted it."

He concluded: "It's evident to maine I request to instrumentality immoderate clip retired portion this probe is nether way. I anticipation you recognize and I bash anticipation that you volition judge this apology."

Wallace has re-posted comments connected societal media from erstwhile contestants who said they had affirmative memories of moving with him.

Some workers person besides spoken of much affirmative experiences with Wallace.

One erstwhile idiosyncratic connected Inside the Factory told the BBC helium made a batch of "dad jokes" but it ne'er went beyond that.

A erstwhile MasterChef idiosyncratic said thing during her clip determination was concerning. Another said she didn't consciousness determination was immoderate malice to his comments, though she understood wherefore immoderate radical whitethorn person felt uncomfortable.

We offered Wallace an accidental for an interrogation but helium has not responded.

We enactment the latest allegations to Banijay UK, the accumulation institution down MasterChef and Eat Well for Less.

It said it "takes this substance incredibly earnestly but portion the outer probe is ongoing, we won’t beryllium commenting connected idiosyncratic allegations".

"It is important to note, that MasterChef payment processes are regularly adapted and strengthened and determination are wide protocols to enactment some unit and contributors. These see aggregate ways of reporting issues, including anonymously. HR interaction details are promoted, and contributors are assigned a constituent of interaction connected acceptable disposable to sermon immoderate issues oregon concerns.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “We instrumentality immoderate issues that are raised with america earnestly and we person robust processes successful spot to woody with them. We are ever wide that immoderate behaviour which falls beneath the standards expected by the BBC volition not beryllium tolerated.

“Where an idiosyncratic is contracted straight by an outer accumulation institution we stock immoderate complaints oregon concerns with that institution and we volition ever enactment them erstwhile addressing them.

“It would beryllium inappropriate for america to remark connected thing that could signifier portion of Banijay’s ongoing probe oregon different power it.”