John Torode’s wife Lisa Faulkner breaks silence over husband’s axe from BBC MasterChef following ‘racist’ comment
Lisa Faulkner has addressed supporters for the first time since her husband John Torode was dismissed from MasterChef over a racism allegation.
The actress posted a video message on Instagram Stories this evening, expressing gratitude to those who had reached out.
“Hi there, I just wanted to check in and say hello. I’m here and just thank you for all your lovely comments because they really, really mean a lot. So thank you,” the 53-year-old said in the footage.
The BBC and production company Banijay UK announced recently that the Australian-born presenter’s contract would not be extended.
The decision followed an independent investigation that substantiated claims he used racist language in 2018.
The 59-year-old chef has presented the BBC cookery programme with Gregg Wallace since 2005.
Law firm Lewis Silkin’s investigation into Wallace’s conduct also examined other workplace allegations, including one against Torode.
Banijay UK stated that the legal team “substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against John Torode which occurred in 2018.”
The production company confirmed they had formally addressed the matter with Torode.
The BBC declared it would not accept racist language under any circumstances.
A spokesperson emphasised that the allegation concerned “an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace.”
Torode went on to release a statement claiming he had “no recollection of the incident” and expressing shock at the allegation.
He maintained that whilst he disputed the finding, he agreed that racial language was completely unacceptable in any setting.
Torode and Faulkner married in 2019, marking a second marriage for both.
Faulkner was previously wed to EastEnders actor Chris Coghill, with whom she has an adopted daughter called Billie.
Torode has two children from his marriage to Jessica, plus two older children from an earlier relationship.
Their romance began after Faulkner won Celebrity MasterChef in 2010, though she insists there was no immediate attraction. “He was a judge on a show I loved and I was petrified of him,” she remembered.
The actress explained that during filming, her focus remained entirely on cooking. “All I could think was, ‘That sauce hasn’t worked’. I didn’t see anything but food for three months.”
Following her victory, they worked together at The Good Food Show and developed a friendship that later evolved into a relationship.
The Lewis Silkin report examined 83 allegations against Wallace, substantiating 45 of them. The investigation also upheld two separate complaints against other individuals, including the racist language allegation against Torode.
The inquiry was commissioned by Banijay UK following multiple complaints about Wallace’s behaviour.
Torode identified himself as the subject of the racism allegation after the report’s findings became public.
Despite the law firm’s conclusions, Torode insisted he could not remember the alleged incident occurring. He stated he was “shocked and saddened” by the claim whilst acknowledging that any form of racial language was entirely inappropriate in professional environments.
The BBC and Banijay UK jointly confirmed their decision not to continue Torode’s involvement with MasterChef following the investigation’s findings.