Gregg Wallace accused of groping three women in new claim amid misconduct investigation
MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace has been accused of allegedly groping three women, while historical misconduct complaints from 13 people are being externally reviewed.
The 60-year-old is facing allegations of inappropriate sexual comments over a 17-year-period since becoming a judge on MasterChef in 2005.
Former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark alleges that, on two occasions, Wallace told jokes of a 'sexualised nature' when she was a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011.
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He has now stepped down from the BBC cooking show while the investigation takes place.
A statement by MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK, read: "This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows.
"Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate.
"While this review is under way, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully co-operating throughout the process."
The Sun has since reported that three different women have come forward with claims about Wallace's alleged behaviour.
One former contestant, who did not want to be named, alleged that he groped on set as the cameras rolled.
Another woman claims Wallace allegedly told her in a pub 'that she aroused him', after 'squeezing' her bum.
Also, Celebrity MasterChef contestant Emma Kennedy yesterday said she had seen the presenter allegedly grope a camera assistant during a photoshoot for the 2012 finalists.
Meanwhile, the presenter's lawyers have said that 'it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature'.
This comes after Wallace thanked his followers in an Instagram post on Thursday evening (28 November).
"I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reaching out and showing their support," he said.
"It’s good of you, thank you very much."
A BBC spokesman also said: "We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them.
"We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
"Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them."
LADbible Group has contacted Gregg Wallace's representatives for comment.
Topics: BBC, Celebrity, TV, Gregg Wallace
Anish Vij