During his time on MasterChef, Gregg Wallace had 83 allegations made against him. An independent investigation has now confirmed that 45 out of the 83 allegations, including one of “unwelcome physical contact”, were found to have been substantiated.
The report, conducted law firm Lewis Silkin, found that the “majority of the allegations against Mr Wallace (94%) related to behaviour which is said to have occurred between 2005 and 2018". Meanwhile, only one allegation was upheld after 2018.
It concluded that the “majority of the substantiated allegations against Mr Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour”, adding that “a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated".
The investigation was conducted over a seven-month period, with Wallace's autism diagnosis taken into account when determining the judgement.
It also found that “10 standalone allegations were made against other people, two of which were substantiated”. Wallace, 60, was interviewed three times for a total of 14 hours, and he was deemed “co-operative and forthcoming” during the process.
The report into his behaviour was commissioned by Masterchef producers Banijay after the initial allegations were made. Banijay UK said that “Wallace’s return to MasterChef (is) untenable” following the number of sustained allegations.
Patrick Holland, chief executive of Banijay UK, said that while the report “makes for uncomfortable reading, highlighting failures in legacy reporting and HR procedures”, it also provided “valuable insight to ensure that going forward everyone working on our productions feels safe and supported, and that inappropriate behaviour is quickly and professionally dealt with”.
He continued: "In earlier years, specifically prior to 2016 where the vast majority of these issues arose, it is clear that escalation procedures were not as robust as they should have been, and awareness of policies and procedures were lacking particularly amongst freelance staff.
“We are extremely sorry to anyone who has been impacted by this behaviour and felt unable to speak up at the time or that their complaint was not adequately addressed.
“MasterChef is a much-loved show which, year in, year out, changes the lives and careers of contestants, amateur and professional alike."
He added: "It’s made by a brilliant team of outstanding professionals and we look forward to bringing more exceptional cooking to screens in the coming months and years."
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