\n
“I’ve been doing MasterChef for 20 years – amateur, professional and Celebrity MasterChef – and I think in that time I have worked with over 4,000 contestants of all different ages, all different backgrounds, all walks of life,” Wallace told his more than 200,000 followers.<\/p>\n
“And apparently now, I’m reading in the paper, there’s been 13 complaints in that time.<\/p>\n
“Now, in the newspaper I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isn’t right.”<\/p>\n
He finished his statement by saying: “In over 20 years of television, can you imagine how many women, female contestants on MasterChef, have made sexual remarks or sexual innuendo – can you imagine?”<\/p>\n
Wallace\u2019s lawyers have strongly denied he engages in sexually harassing behaviour, while the BBC said it will \u201calways listen if people want to make us aware of something directly\u201d.<\/p>\n
It comes as the BBC faces fresh questions over its handling of allegations against the 60-year-old, after emails emerged showing it was warned about him in 2017.<\/p>\n
Mir has said that she complained to the BBC about Gregg Wallace\u2019s remarks on the set of the cooking show.<\/p>\n
In an internal email, BBC executive Kate Phillips, who now heads up unscripted programmes for the corporation, said that his behaviour on set was \u201cunacceptable and cannot continue\u201d.<\/p>\n
She added that she would make sure that she was “informed straight away” should further allegations be made against him.<\/p>\n
Mir later sent an email that was copied to Phillips, saying: “This must not happen again to another woman.”<\/p>\n
Separately, the Observer says a letter containing multiple claims of inappropriate behaviour by Gregg Wallace was sent to the BBC in 2022, but did not result in further investigation at the time.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, MasterChef’s production company Banijay UK said Wallace would step away from presenting the show while allegations of historical misconduct were investigated.<\/p>\n
The 60-year-old is “committed to fully co-operating throughout the process”, Banijay added.<\/p>\n
It came after BBC News sent a letter to Wallace’s representatives, setting out allegations we have heard from 13 people, across a 17-year period.<\/p>\n
One of them was Ms Wark, a Celebrity MasterChef contestant in 2011, who said he told “sexualised” jokes during filming.<\/p>\n
Since then, more people have come forward with allegations about the presenter.<\/p>\n
On Saturday evening, Wallace said in an Instagram post: “We are all different.”<\/p>\n
His lawyers have said it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.<\/p>\n
The BBC said it has \u201crobust processes\u201d in place to deal with issues if they are raised.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Saturday, MasterChef producers announced they have appointed a “rigorous” law firm to lead an investigation into Wallace’s alleged misconduct.<\/p>\n
On the appointment of London law firm Lewis Silkin, a Banijay UK spokesperson said it was a “highly experienced specialist investigations team which has overseen a broad range of high-profile workplace investigations”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n