Gregg Wallace has issued an apology for remarks he made blaming ‘middle-aged’ women for the complaints that led to his sacking on MasterChef.
The TV presenter and former greengrocer, 61, was sensationally dismissed from the BBC last summer, after a review into behaviour on the cooking competition show upheld several complaints against him.
Wallace has now reflected on his initial suspension from the broadcaster at the end of 2024, penning a lengthy newsletter.
He shared a TikTok about the decision to reflect on the highly-publicised moment that his ‘life changed forever’, saying he had attempted to write an ‘explanation’ and apologise for the ‘things he got wrong.’
The disgraced presenter’s Substack, which currently has 29 subscribers, entitled his first post The Culture on Set and kicked off the blog with an apology for infamously blaming the complaints on ‘middle-class women of a certain age.’
‘It was a stupid, defensive, and arrogant thing to say. I felt like I was being backed into a corner, and I lashed out. There’s no excuse for it. It was hurtful and wrong. It’s not what I truly believe, and I’m sorry for what I said,’ Wallace wrote, adding that he had failed to listen to what was being said.
He went on: ‘That feeling of being backed into a corner was a reaction to a situation I still cannot fully comprehend. For twenty years, I presented as that loud, cheeky greengrocer off the telly.
‘It was a persona I adopted for the boisterous workplace environment, full of bawdy humour. I’ve always loved a bit of banter and a bit of a laugh, so I felt like I was fitting in on set, matching the culture that was engineered from the top down.’
He then compared his language to the innuendos that pepper The Great British Bake Off on Channel 4, painting himself as a victim of changing attitudes since he had been ‘rewarded’ for his ‘colourful’ language in the past.
He continued: ‘We’d make jokes you’d see on any episode of Bake Off, suggestive comments like the ones that regularly show up on The 1% Club. I would bring real high energy into that studio.
‘And yes, many of the jokes were sexual. I relied on innuendo quite heavily. Food is full of innuendo. Spotted dick, nuts, the rim of a glass, little tarts… We leaned into it.
‘All of us. I’d see cameramen making phallic shapes out of leftover ingredients on the bench. I’d join in conversations about sex and relationships because that’s what everyone in the studio was talking about.
‘I wasn’t a lone wolf making crude comments in a silent office; I was part of an ensemble that was noisy, energetic, and yes, sometimes crude.
‘That was the job. That was the culture. I behaved the way I thought was expected of me. My intent was always to participate appropriately, and I believed I was doing so,’ he said, noting that he was never told otherwise by members of production, but was instead ‘encouraged’.
Wallace went on to reveal that in 2018 he was given a formal warning for inappropriate and unprofessional language after a complaint was made on another show. He described it as a ‘complete shock’.
He said that from that moment, work was a ‘terrifying place’, where he was fearful of saying the wrong thing.
A timeline of allegations against Gregg Wallace
2005 to 2011
A report by law firm Lewis Silkin found there were 27 substantiated claims against Wallace relating to alleged incidents during this period, most of which related to sexually explicit comments.
One allegation of unwanted physical contact during this timeframe was also substantiated.
The report found that when concerns were reported to the production company during this period, there was a failure to retain records of any action taken.
2012 to 2018
The report found that 17 upheld allegations relate to this period.
In 2015, the production company behind MasterChef investigated an allegation about Wallace’s behaviour, but he was not made aware of the complaint.
The following year, the production company merged with Endemol, and more formal policies, regular training, and anonymous reporting lines were introduced.
The BBC intervened in response to a complaint in 2017, following which Wallace was warned of the need to change his behaviour.
2019 to 2024
One substantiated complaint about an inappropriate comment fell into this period.
November 2024
Wallace faced allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people across a range of shows over 17 years, BBC News reported.
The TV star stepped away from presenting MasterChef while Banijay, the show’s production company, announced that it was conducting an external review to 'fully and impartially investigate' the claims.
BBC News said allegations include the presenter 'talking openly about his sex life, taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to "give her a fashion show", and telling a junior female colleague he was not wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans'.
The charity Ambitious About Autism said it had dropped Wallace as an ambassador, citing the 'recent allegations'.
Banijay UK confirmed it appointed law firm Lewis Silkin to lead the investigation into Wallace’s alleged behaviour.
December 2024
Wallace said in a video posted to Instagram that accusations about him making sexual comments towards staff and guests have come from 'middle-class women of a certain age'.
Downing Street said Wallace’s response to the accusations being made against him was 'inappropriate and misogynistic'.
A spokesperson added that Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had held talks with BBC bosses in the wake of the Wallace row.
Following the backlash, Wallace apologised for any 'offence' or 'upset' he caused with his remarks and said he would 'take some time out'.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said politicians should be ready to put in place 'mechanisms' that would instil 'confidence' that women will be taken seriously in reports of inappropriate behaviour after a Labour MP asked him about 'women of a certain age', reflecting comments Wallace apologised for.
MasterChef co-presenter John Torode said in a social media post that he 'loves being part of' the programme and 'will continue to be a part of it'.
April 2025
Wallace told the Daily Mail he 'thought about suicide all the time' after allegations of misconduct were made against him.
July 8-9, 2025
Wallace was sacked as MasterChef presenter following the inquiry into his alleged misconduct by production company Banijay.
BBC News said it had not seen the final review from Banijay but understood the presenter had been sacked.
In an Instagram post, the former greengrocer claimed he had been cleared of the 'most serious and sensational accusations' ahead of the published review.
He also said he recognised that some of his humour and language were inappropriate 'at times' and apologised for this.
July 14, 2025
The report by law firm Lewis Silkin for Banijay is published.
It says that a total of 45 out of the 83 allegations made against Wallace during his time on the show were substantiated, including one allegation of 'unwelcome physical contact'.
It concludes 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'.
In the wake of the report’s findings, Banijay say that 'Wallace’s return to MasterChef (is) untenable'.
He concluded: ‘I want to be very clear. I am sorry for the upset I caused. It was never, ever my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable. I can see now that it would be hard for someone to complain about a crude joke if everyone around them was laughing along, including management.
‘I also never considered that contestants might not have spoken up for fear it would affect their chances in the competition. Those were failings on my part, and I take accountability for them.
‘I accept responsibility for the impact of my actions. What I question is whether the standards by which I was judged were knowable in advance.’
Since being axed from MasterChef and his BBC presenting gigs, Wallace has fashioned himself as a personal trainer, sharing healthy recipes on his TikTok and offering life coaching to fans.
He is also suing the BBC and BBC Studios Distribution Limited for up to £10,000 in damages, claiming the broadcaster failed to comply with his request for copies of his personal data.
The BBC has said he’s not ‘entitled to any damages’ in response to his High Court claim alleging that the broadcaster and one of its subsidiaries caused him ‘distress and harassment’.
Metro contacted the BBC for comment on this story.
MasterChef is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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