In an interview Gregg Wallace’s second wife Denise Lovell gave in 2012, she described him as a womaniser and said he was ‘always in charge of the money’
Gregg Wallace’s second wife described him as a womaniser who was obsessed with sex and money, it has emerged today.
An unearthed interview, which has never been seen before, reveals new details of the MasterChef judge’s relationship with former pastry chef Denise Lovell. The pair, who were married between 1999 and 2004, had two children together.
Denise revealed that after their divorce, she suffered a complete nervous breakdown as her children left her home to live with their dad in Whitstable, Kent. Back in 2012, Denise lifted the lid on her marriage in a tell-all interview which hasn’t been published until now, after multiple women accused the 60-year-old presenter of inappropriate behaviour, groping and sexual harassment. He denies the allegations.
The interview was carried out shortly after Gregg’s marriage to his third wife, biology teacher Heidi Brown, collapsed. Asked what Heidi’s marriage to Gregg might have been like, Denise’s conclusion was damning as she said: “If my own experience is anything to go by it will have been utter hell and very, very lonely.”
She also went on to described her ex husband as a womaniser who had an obsession with sex and “was always in charge of the money.” Despite this, Denise said she was besotted with Gregg in the early days, and after nine years of dating, the pair married. But Denise said things changed soon and she became concerned about Gregg’s behaviour.
She revealed: “I had nowhere to go. I felt completely desperate. Even though I’d worked for years, I had nothing of my own by then. I just tried to focus on being a mother. I put up with it because of the children.” Denise sadly died in 2017, five years after the interview with the Daily Mail was carried out and 13 years after she divorced Gregg. By this time, Gregg was with his fourth wife, Anne-Marie Sterpini, to whom he remains married now.
Denise Lovell was married to Gregg for four years
Image:
@libbylilywallace/Instagram)
Wallace himself has admitted in his 2012 autobiography Life On A Plate: “As long as I was home when the children woke up in the morning, she could overlook the other women. That was the rule. There was her life, there was my life and there were holidays together.”
Multiple women have now come forward to make complaints about the presenter’s behaviour stretching back nearly two decades. The BBC has started an external review to fully and impartially investigate the allegations and Wallace, originally from Peckham, southeast London, has quit his role on MasterChef for the time being.
At the start of the week, Wallace apologised for claiming complaints about his behaviour came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”, adding he will “take some time out”. His lawyers have previously strongly denied “he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”, according to BBC News.
Earlier this week, Banijay UK – the producers of MasterChef- said in a statement: “It is important to note, that MasterChef welfare processes are regularly adapted and strengthened and there are clear protocols to support both crew and contributors. These include multiple ways of reporting issues, including anonymously. HR contact details are promoted, and contributors are assigned a point of contact on set available to discuss any issues or concerns.”
Meanwhile, BBC bosses said the corporation will not “tolerate behaviour that falls below the standards we expect” and will continue to champion “a culture that is kind, inclusive and respectful.” In the message sent to staff by the corporation’s director-general Tim Davie, and Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer, on Friday, they further said that they would be supporting Banijay UK with their investigation and added: “It is critical that every part of the BBC upholds our values including where companies are working with us.”
The Mirror has contacted Gregg Wallace’s representative for comment.
