Gregg Wallace faces fresh ‘inappropriate’ behaviour claims from A Place in the Sun star: ‘Arrogant, loud and self important’
A Place in the Sun presenter Jean Johansson has accused MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace of “constantly inappropriate” behaviour during her appearance on the show in 2018.
The TV host has slammed Wallace as “arrogant” and “self-important”, claiming his conduct on set was shocking and unprofessional.
Johansson revealed she was surprised by Wallace’s behaviour during the filming of Celebrity MasterChef, stating that “the things he was saying were so off colour” that she believed they would never be aired.
“I consider myself someone who loves to laugh, I’m adaptable to new working environments and I can handle different personalities but I was shocked by some of Gregg’s ‘banter’,” Johansson claimed.
She described Wallace as someone who “cracks up at his own one-liners” and was “dismissive” and “rude”.
The presenter noted that crew members appeared accustomed to Wallace’s behaviour, stating: “It was obvious to me that the crew and directors and producers were used to it.”
Johansson’s comments come after Wallace reportedly suggested complainants about his behaviour were “middle class and of a certain age”.
“I’m working class and younger than the women who have taken issue with his conduct yet I can concur he was massively unprofessional,” she responded.
She told The Sunday Mail: “He’s trying to bunch them all into a group bizarrely suggesting class and age has something to do with taking offence but the one thing they all have in common is that they’re extremely bright and successful women who could see through the TV’s nice guy act within seconds.”
Johansson has confirmed she raised a formal complaint with Banijay, the production company behind MasterChef.
She also reported her concerns to the BBC’s then-controller of entertainment commissioning, Kate Phillips.
The BBC has acknowledged “concerning allegations” about Wallace’s conduct and confirmed an independent investigation is underway.
Wallace’s lawyers have previously strenuously denied any wrongdoing, saying: “It is entirely false that he (Wallace) engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.”
However, the 60-year-old stepped down from his role as a host and judge of MasterChef following claims from former contestants, media personalities and staff being made against him.
Other claims against the former grocer range from crude comments to incidents of groping and exposing himself.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We would like to thank those who have had the courage to speak out.
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“We have always been clear that should people want to raise issues with the BBC, they will be taken very seriously.”
The broadcaster’s statement emphasised its commitment to addressing concerns raised about conduct on its programmes.
Banijay UK has said it is “committed to fully co-operating throughout the process” and called on anyone who has a complaint against Wallace to come forward. He denies the claims and has vowed to take a step back from the spotlight while the investigation runs its course.
A BBC source reiterated that there was an ongoing process in place being run by Banijay and urged caution around “pre-judging” any of the matters recently raised.