Gregg Wallace launches scathing attack on the BBC as he vows ‘won’t be cancelled’ amid fresh allegations
Gregg Wallace issued a blistering attack on the BBC after it emerged 50 further allegations of misconduct had been made, with the TV chef officially axed from presenting MasterChef.
Wallace, 60, penned a statement which he posted to his Instagram account on Tuesday night, slamming the BBC for “chasing slanderous clickbait” in its coverage of the probe into accusations against him.
Allegations were first publicised last year, with several reports being made against the presenter.
He was removed from MasterChef and denied the claims, and as of this week has officially been taken off the cooking show permanently, which he has hosted along with John Torrode since 2005.
It was revealed that 50 further people have since come forward with allegations, and in response to an independent law firm conducting the inquiry on behalf of MasterChef’s production company Banijay, Wallace opted to speak out.
His statement reads: “I have taken the decision to speak out ahead of the publication of the Silkins report – a decision I do not take lightly.
“But after 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others.
“I have now been cleared by the Silkins report of the most serious and sensational accusations made against me.
“The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation.”
Taking aim at the BBC and issuing further cryptic claims, he went on: “My decision to go public now is also driven by the fact the BBC News division are intending to platform legally unsafe accusations, including claims which have already been investigated and not upheld by the BBC and found not credible by Silkins.
“The BBC is no longer providing balanced and impartial public service journalism. It is peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories.
“The BBC is choosing to allow BBC News to run with this uncorroborated tittle tattle in an attempt to ‘get ahead’ of the Silkin’s summary report and derail what has been an extremely thorough process.
“This feels to me like BBC News is chasing slanderous click-bait rather than delivering impartial journalism.
“To be clear, the Silkin’s Report exonerates me of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year and finds me primarily guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018.
“I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise without reservation. But I was never the caricature now being sold for clicks.
“I was hired by the BBC and MasterChef as the cheeky greengrocer. A real person with warmth, character, rough edged and all.
“For over two decades, that authenticity was part of the brand. Now, in a sanitised world, that same personality is seen as a problem.
“My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef.
“Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over twenty years. That failure is now being quietly buried.
“Unfortunately, the full reports (over 200 pages) will never be seen. Later this week, the BBC will publish a short Executive Summary.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Gregg Wallace rushed to hospital for ‘heart attack’ as fresh allegations emerge amid BBC probeGregg Wallace axed from MasterChef as 50 people come forward with fresh allegationsGregg Wallace breaks social media cover with wife for first time amid MasterChef ‘misconduct’ saga
“What really concerns me about the short summary is others who have been found guilty of serious allegations have been erased from the published version if events. I, and I’m sure the public, would like to know why?
“I will not go quietly I will not be cancelled for convenience. I was tried by media and hung out to dry well before the facts were established.”
Signing off, the presenter penned: “The full story of this incredible injustice must be told and it is very much a matter of public interest. Gregg Wallace.”
GB News has contacted the BBC about Wallace’s claims.