Gregg Wallace has said he is “deeply sorry for any distress” caused after a MasterChef report substantiated 45 allegations against him.
Hours before the findings of the investigation were revealed on Monday (14 July), the host, who has been dropped by the BBC, said that he “never set out to harm or humiliate” anyone with his behaviour.
“For eight months, my family and I have lived under a cloud,” Wallace, 60, told PA, hitting out at the BBC for “exposing” him to “trial by media fuelled by rumour and clickbait”.
Wallace said that “none of the serious allegations against” him were upheld and that he also “challenged the remaining issue of unwanted touching, but [has] had to accept a difference in perception”.
He continued: “A late autism diagnosis has helped me understand how I communicate and how I’m perceived. I’m still learning. [Production company] Banijay have given me great support and I thank them.”
Also in the report, an allegation of using racist language against Wallace’s co-presenter John Torode was upheld. Torode, who confirmed he was the person the allegation was against, said he had no recollection of the incident and was “shocked and saddened”.
For Wallace, more than half of the 83 allegations against him were upheld, including one of unwelcome physical contact and several citing inappropriate sexual language and being in a state of undress.
Seventy-eight witnesses provided evidence.
The “vast majority (94 per cent)” of the 83 allegations were linked to behaviour that allegedly happened between 2005 and 2018. Only one was substantiated after that time period.
Wallace faced multiple accusations, including claims that he made inappropriate sexual jokes, asked for the phone numbers of female production staff, and behaved unprofessionally around female colleagues on set.
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He denied the allegations, and last week vowed to “not go quietly” after being dropped by the broadcaster, who said his MasterChef return is “untenable”.
The BBC also apologised to “everyone who has been impacted by Mr Wallace’s behaviour” and admitted that “opportunities were missed to address” his conduct, stating: “We accept more could and should have been done sooner.
“This behaviour falls below the values of the BBC and the expectations we have for anyone who works with or for us.”
Patrick Holland, chief executive of MasterChef production company Banijay UK, said it was “clear that escalation procedures were not as robust as they should have been”, adding: “We are extremely sorry to anyone who has been impacted by this behaviour and felt unable to speak up at the time or that their complaint was not adequately addressed.”
According to the report, Banijay previously “undertook an investigation into an allegation in 2015 and understood the complainant was happy with the outcome”.
It was also revealed “the BBC intervened in response to a complaint in 2017, following which Mr Wallace was warned of the need to change his behaviour”. The report said that “Mr Wallace took steps to heed that warning”.
Karen Baxter, a partner and head of investigations at Lewis Silkin, who oversaw the seven-month investigation, said that Wallace’s autism diagnosis was “highly relevant in the context of the findings made, particularly regarding his use of humour as a ‘masking’ technique and his difficulty in reading social cues”.
Ms Baxter added: “Mr Wallace accepts that his diagnosis may help to explain some of his actions, but he does not wish to hide behind it.”
It was found that Wallace “was consistently described as energetic, humorous, and generally able to put contestants at ease” – but that some of these interactions and comments “made within earshot of contestants or colleagues sometimes resulted in offence and/or left people feeling uncomfortable”.
The findings arrived after Wallace was criticised for sharing his autism diagnosis during a lengthy tirade against the BBC earlier this month.
In an Instagram post, the presenter wrote that he “cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others”, and claimed that the then-unpublished investigation “exonerates me of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year”.
The former greengrocer said that the report found him “guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018”. He apologised “without reservation”, adding: “I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate.”
However, he maintained that the report showed the “most damaging claims” against him were “baseless”.
“I was hired by the BBC and MasterChef as the cheeky greengrocer,” he continued. “A real person with warmth, character, rough edges and all. For over two decades, that authenticity was part of the brand.”
Wallace first stepped away from his role on MasterChef nine months ago when reports of the allegations first surfaced.
His lawyers have said that “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”.
No decision has yet been made about whether to air the MasterChef series featuring Wallace which was filmed last year.
A BBC spokesperson went on: “At this stage we are not going to make a final decision on the broadcast of the series that was filmed last year. We know this is disappointing for fans of the show and those who took part, and at the appropriate time Banijay UK will consult further with the amateur contestants.”
