Gregg Wallace has stepped back from BBC show MasterChef following an investigation into historical allegations of misconduct, with the presenter previously being vocal about his hooligan past
Gregg Wallace once admitted to getting into trouble with the law in his youth as a self-confessed football “hooligan”.
The MasterChef presenter, 60, recently stepped down from the iconic BBC cooking programme amid an investigation into historical allegations of misconduct. As a well-known fan of Millwall FC, Wallace previously stated his south London football club had a “fierce reputation”, and brushes with the police were a regular occurrence.
Speaking to Zoo magazine back in 2008, the TV personality explained: “I was brought up in Peckham and went to Millwall regularly. Some of my friends from school grew up to be hooligans.
“Millwall had a fierce reputation at the time, which was well deserved. They had a large percentage of people that were able to cause havoc! I got arrested for assault when I was 20… but my Millwall days are long behind me.
“I was a product of my area. Police were making hundreds of arrests at every home game back then. Getting nicked was like a social pastime!”
While Wallace’s hooligan days are long behind him, he remains an avid fan of the Lions. He even has a large tattoo of the club’s lion crest on his chest.
It comes as the Peckham-born broadcaster and entrepreneur was hit with allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period.
Former Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark is among the BBC News complainants, alleging that Wallace made jokes of a “sexualised nature” during her time competing on Celebrity MasterChef back in 2011. Wark claimed Wallace had twice made inappropriate sexualised comments in front of contestants and crew, which she believed were “really, really in the wrong place”.
Wallace has a Millwall FC tattoo on his chest (
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Instagram/greggawallace)
He has stepped away from MasterChef (
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Getty Images)
BBC News says it has been informed of further claims against the TV show host, including him “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”.
Wallace’s legal team insists that “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”, as reported by BBC News. On Thursday, it was announced that Wallace is “committed to fully co-operating” with an external review by MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK.
Wallace has denied the allegations against him (
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BBC)Don’t Miss
“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. Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.
“Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.”
The statement added: “If anyone would like to talk to us or raise any issues or concerns, then they can contact speakupbanijayuk.com in confidence.”
Meanwhile, a BBC spokesperson 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.”
Wallace rose to fame through co-hosting MasterChef alongside John Torode since 2005, as well as its spin-offs – Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals. Recorded episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals featuring Wallace will still air as planned, with the next episode due to air on Thursday.
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