I’m A Celebrity star Grace Dent is to replace Gregg Wallace on BBC’s Celebrity MasterChef amid a groping investigation.
The restaurant critic, 51, will judge the upcoming 20th series after Wallace was forced to step down amid allegations of misconduct.
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Grace Dent will appear alongside co-host John TorodeCredit: PA
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She will judge the upcoming 20th series of Credit: Instagram
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Wallace stepped down amid investigation into alleged misconductCredit: BBC
Grace regularly appears as a guest on MasterChef, and last year was a contestant on MasterChef: Battle of the Critics.
She said: “I’ve been watching MasterChef since I was a little girl sitting on the sofa with my dad. My whole family watches it.
“It’s all about discovering and promoting talent – and ending up in this position is more than a dream for me.
“I’m so excited I can’t eat, which is seriously damaging to restaurant critics.
“I feel very lucky to be appearing on the next Celebrity MasterChef.
“I can’t wait to meet the new celebrities for 2025.”
Meanwhile John Torode, who has presented MasterChef since 2005, said: “I’ve loved working with Grace on MasterChef over the years.
“She was an excellent guest, an inspiring critic, and she posed incredible challenges.
“The essence of MasterChef is expertise, from the contestants to our wonderful production team, to us as judges.
“A love of food, a love of MasterChef and that unquestionable expertise make Grace the perfect person to join me as a judge on the upcoming series of Celebrity MasterChef.”
Fury as BBC had complaints about Gregg Wallace’s ‘sexual remarks’ on Strictly 10 years ago but was allowed to stay on show
Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of BBC Entertainment, said: “Grace Dent is the perfect choice to enter the next series of Celebrity MasterChef.
“Grace is not only an energetic and well-established member of the MasterChef team, she’s also a world-renowned food critic, so she’s sure to keep the next group of celebrities on their toes.”
It comes after the show’s production company Banijay UK launched an investigation last month after several women complained they had been groped or harassed by the TV judge.
Despite strongly denying any wrongdoing, Gregg, 60, is said to have come to terms with the sacking – as we previously revealed.
A TV source said: “Grace is the perfect choice to replace Gregg on Masterchef.
“She’s knowledgeable about food and she’s confident, plus it’s great to have a female judge on the show. It’s going to shake things up and give the show the boost it needs after such an upsetting and uncertain time.
“She’s already a fan favorite and has gained a lot of respect in the foodie world thanks to her easy-going style and sense of humor.
“The bosses already love her, they know she’s a safe pair of hands and they trust her to help steer the ship with John into more stable waters.”
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Grace is a regular on the show alongside Gregg Wallace and John Torode Credit: BBC
Colleagues of TV chef Gregg Wallace condemn the behavior
By Summer Raemason
The MasterChef host, 60, was told by fellow stars to “shut up and listen”.
Wallace hit back on Instagram and claimed the complaints against him were coming from “middle-class women of a certain age.”
It comes as at least 13 people have formally complained about Wallace’s behavior during his 17-year run across five shows, from 2005 to 2022.
The host left MasterChef because of the accusations.
Wallace denied any conduct of a sexually harassing nature.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Since taking to social media to share his bizarre speech, TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall said: “I don’t think the intervention is wise. I don’t know Gregg very well, I’ve met him a few times.
“He’s very likeable. He’s very professional on screen.
“I’ve got a very talented chef on MasterChef at the moment and she’s doing incredibly well, and I’ve really enjoyed watching her and enjoying Gregg’s presentation.
“I think it’s likely that Gregg has what we might call a crude sense of humor. It clearly offends people.
“I think one of the problems is that over the years, people haven’t been able to tell him when he could rein it in a little bit, and obviously he’s crossed some lines.”
He continued: “In terms of the way he defends himself.
“I understand the instinct when you feel cornered, but I don’t think it’s smart to talk like that when you should probably be listening to more BBC questions at the moment.”
Kirstie Allsopp
Location, Location, Location host Kirstie Allsopp also slammed Wallace in a statement on Xu, formerly of Twitter, in which she relived a meeting with the grocer-turned-TV star
She said: “Within an hour of meeting Gregg Wallace, he told me about the sex act he and his partner enjoyed ‘every morning’, she had just left the room, we were filming the pilot.
“Did he get away with how embarrassed I was? It was totally unprofessional, I’m a #MiddleClassWomanOfaCertainAge.”
She later added on Radio 4 that his video ranting about the complainant class was “unacceptable”.
Kirstie said: “I absolutely understand the banter. I am the mother of sons – two stepsons, two sons. But there’s a huge difference between a tough talk and the kind of comments Gregg Wallace made to me.”
Ulrika Jonsson
Speaking to Times Radio, the Sun writer recalled the moment she was “absolutely horrified” after learning Wallace had “made this rape joke while judging another contestant’s thing”.
She added: “She was crying, she was crying. And there was, you know, a commotion for a while. And then the producers apparently went to talk to him.
“So everybody knows and I think it’s wrong.”
A former MasterChef contestant has hit out at the BBC and claimed they “just wrote him off”.
She added; “I don’t think that’s acceptable. It’s just not.”
Ulrika also said she was “stunned, shocked and horrified” by Wallace’s Instagram story defending himself.
“I never understand this with people in a position of power. And he’s in a position of power. He’s a celebrity and he’s an anchor,” she said.
But the writer said he “refuses to let go” and reflect on his alleged behaviour.
“I don’t think he’s capable of changing, because I think that’s the way he is,” she continued.
JK Rowling
Harry Potter author JK Rowling declared: “If only his co-stars had been young working-class women, ideally with some job security, none of this would have happened.”
Julia Hartley-Brewer
Host Julia Hartley-Brewer added: “Think of Gregg Wallace’s PR agent waking up this morning,’ alongside a meme of Chandler from Friends yelling, ‘What did you just do?’”
Aggie MacKenzie
TV presenter Aggie MacKenzie, 69, said Wallace’s jokes were “always dirty, they were endless” when she competed on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011.
She added: “It was like Gregg was some kind of dinosaur who just couldn’t read the room, and he seemed to be allowed to carry on like this.
“He has no insight or understanding of how he behaves.”
Alongside her successful journalism career as a food critic, Grace has worked more in mainstream television and last year starred in I’m A Celeb.
She left the jungle after nine days, citing “medical reasons.”
It comes after a number of celebrities, former MasterChef stars and production staff have come forward with a series of allegations against Wallace.
These included allegations that Wallace entered the studio naked except for a “stocking over his penis”, mimed a sex act while a female worker knelt to clean his pants and made a “rape joke”.
Wallace, under investigation by MasterChef producers Banijay UK, was due to appear on the BBC several times this Christmas but those episodes have now been axed.
The presenter left the show after numerous complaints.
He has faced allegations from at least 13 people over a series of shows over a 17-year period – with others coming forward since the scandal broke.
Earlier this month, The Sun revealed how the BBC had been receiving complaints about Wallace’s behavior since 2014.
He was accused of making sexual remarks during a performance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2014 with professional Aliona Vilani.
The presenter denied any behavior of a sexually harassing nature.
Wallace is accused of removing his top in front of the worker, saying he wanted to “put her on a fashion show” and telling others about his sex life.
Gregg Wallace admits he’s fucked up
Author: Ellie Henman
MASTERCHEF star Gregg Wallace has told friends he expects to be fired following an investigation into his alleged sexual harassment and groping.
Several women came forward about his behavior, which prompted the review.
Wallace stopped using his expensive legal team as he came to terms with being fired from MasterChef.
The crisis manager also turned away crisis teams from the public in the weeks after several women complained he groped or harassed them.
The BBC1 series’ production company Banijay UK launched an investigation last month and Wallace, 60, has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
But those close to him said he understood that his position on MasterChef was no longer viable.
A source said: “Gregg admitted he had lost everything. To put it bluntly, he was telling people: ‘Fuck me’.
“He came out swinging but quietly admitted that he knew his time on MasterChef was up and he would be stepping down.
“He disputed the sexual allegations and insisted that all the jokes he made were just jokes. He said he never intended to cause any offence.
“Gregg has been under a lot of pressure since the allegations came to light and has done his best to fight his corner.
“The BBC and Banijay UK have now spoken to a number of different individuals and know they have to be seen to take action.
“Gregg knows there will come a time when he has to retire and as much as it hurts, he seems to have come to terms with that.”
Another source said: “MasterChef is a giant of a show and the wheels don’t stop turning.
“Shortly after the investigation into Gregg’s behavior, casting for the celebrity series began.
“While the investigation is ongoing, it has been made clear to production that John will be staying and that a woman will be stepping into Gregg’s role.”
Allegedly, he also told a female colleague that he does not wear any boxers under his jeans.
MasterChef production company Banijay UK said law firm Lewis Silkin would be investigating Wallace’s alleged misconduct.
The BBC said it would not be inappropriate to comment on anything that might be part of Banijay’s investigation.
It emerged that Celebrity MasterChef 2012 winner Emma Kennedy said she reported Wallace’s behavior to a member of the production team, but did not know if any further action was taken.
Georgia Harding, producer of MasterChef from 2014 to 2015, said she also raised concerns about his behavior but no action was taken.
Then in 2017, radio presenter Aasmah Mir played the celebrity version and emailed Kate Phillips, now head of unscripted television for the BBC, about Wallace’s inappropriate comments.
And the following year, Wallace was reportedly issued a formal warning by the BBC following an HR investigation.
In 2022, director and producer Dawn Elrick said she sent a letter to the corporation with a number of anonymized accounts from people who claimed Wallace had acted inappropriately.
The Sun also reported on Sunday how Nestlé’s chief executive had written to the BBC with concerns about Wallace’s behavior during the filming of an episode of Inside The Factory in 2023.
One witness claimed the former grocer, 60, walked into the studio naked except for a “sock over his penis” and then danced.
They also said he mimicked a sexual act while a worker knelt down to clean his pants.
Since the latest allegations came to light, Wallace has unfollowed John and his wife Lisa Faulkner on Instagram.
At the time, friends told Us Gregg was upset that John didn’t publicly support him amid the scandal.
Banijay UK launched its own investigation and confirmed to The Sun on November 28 that Wallace was standing down pending a review.
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Grace was on I’m A Celeb last year but left after nine days for ‘medical reasons’Credit: Enterprise
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