KATY Brand has broken her silence on a ‘tart’ moment on MasterChef with Gregg Wallace as she slammed the ‘wretched’ star.
The former Celebrity MasterChef contestant took to Instagram to release the statement after Gregg, 60, left the hugely popular BBC1 show yesterday.
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Katy Brand has spoken out after Gregg Wallace quit MasterchefCredit: Getty
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Gregg made ‘stupid’ Katy allusions during the show Credit: YouTube
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It came when Katy presented an egg tart to him and John Torode. Credit: YouTube
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Gregg was a host for several years on Credit: Paul Edwards
It follows complaints from 13 people about the historic allegations, including former Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark. He vehemently denies the claims.
As news broke that Gregg had quit the show, shocking footage from the 2013 celeb edition, in which he told comedian Katy “I’m going to chew the living daylights out of your little pie”, resurfaced.
It comes as…
- Gregg Wallace has stepped down from MasterChef
- The star is facing an investigation after allegedly making sexual remarks to 13 colleagues
- BBC Newsnight presenter and 2011 contestant Kirsty Wark says Wallace told ‘sexualised’ jokes during filming
- Gregg accused of being open about his sex life, removing his top in front of a young employee and telling another not to wear pants
- Previous episodes of MasterChef that scandal hit Gregg still presented on iPlayer
- MasterChef star Aasmah Mir shares a cryptic “always keep your receipts” post.
- The BBC will still air two festive Masterchef specials this Christmas – despite both being fronted by Gregg Wallace
- Gregg breaks his silence – thanks fans for their support
Speaking about the aftermath of today’s viral clip, Katy, 45, said she thought the remark was “stupid” and supported those who complained about the star, adding that she was not one of them.
She wrote: “I am aware of the allegations of misconduct currently surrounding Gregg Wallace.
“I am aware that he has stood down from presenting Masterchef until these allegations are investigated.
“I am also aware that there is a video circulating of my time on the show in 2013, where Wallace makes a remark to me about a dish I cooked.
“At the time, I understood it as a remark full of allusions, and I see it that way now.”
She continued: “My reaction on camera was shock and disbelief at such a stupid and idiotic joke, so I laughed and said ‘please?’
“To which he reacted with a deadpan expression and a remark about my laughter.
“The video on the internet is a pretty accurate representation of my recollection of what happened.
“It was embarrassing.
“To be clear, I am not one of those who filed an official complaint.
Gregg Wallace ‘forced to apologize for rape joke’ years before leaving MasterChef over ‘sexual comments to staff’
“I applaud those who are, especially those who work off-camera and often don’t have the opportunity or support to react in the moment.
“I hope they find him now.
“That’s all I have to say.
“Thanks.”
Gregg Wallace’s career so far
Gregg Wallace has been a familiar face on TV for years thanks to his role as a judge on MasterChef – but let’s take a closer look at his career so far…
- In 1989 he started George Allan’s Greengrocers, which grew to a turnover of £7.5 million.
- Gregg’s experience in the world of fruit and vegetables led him to co-host BBC Radio 4’s Veg Talk with Charlie Hicks for seven years.
- He then became the first host of Saturday Kitchen in 2002, a role he held for a year before being replaced by Antony Worrall Thompson in 2003.
- At the same time, Gregg presented a number of food-related TV specials, including Veg Out for the Discovery Channel.
- Gregg landed his most notable TV role as a co-host and judge on the BBC’s cooking competition show MasterChef in 2005. He stars alongside John Torode.
- In 2010, Gregg realized another lifelong dream of opening a restaurant. He opened the company Wallace & Co. in Putney.
- Then in 2012 he opened Gregg’s Bar & Grill in a joint venture with the Bermondsey Square Hotel.
- Gregg then landed a guest appearance on the BBC, presenting the documentary Supermarket Secrets in August 2013.
- Unfortunately, times were hard for Gregg, and in the same month it was announced that one of his companies, West Veg Limited, had failed, owing more than £500,000.
- In 2014, both of his restaurants went bust and Wallace & Co owed suppliers £150,000.
- However, his TV career continued to thrive, and in 2015 he became a regular host of the award-winning food documentary series Eat Well for Less? Gregg hosted the show for eight years before he left.
- Gregg then made Telly history again when he revived the BBC’s historical game series Time Commanders.
- More recently, the celebrity chef has presented a number of travel programs such as Big Weekends with Gregg Wallace, South Africa with Gregg Wallace and food mockumentary Gregg Wallace: Britain’s Meat Miracle.
The scene in question from the 2013 series shows Katy giving an egg tart to Gregg and his co-host John Torode.
Gregg tells her, “I find this quite pleasant. Left to my own devices, I’d probably be chewing the living daylights out of your little pie.”
Yesterday it was revealed that Gregg had quit MasterChef.
It comes after The Sun reported that Gregg had previously come under fire after allegedly making “sexually inappropriate comments” to a BBC staff member on Impossible Celebrities.
He faces a new wave of accusations, including that he is “very sensitive” and has been making “disgusting sex-related jokes” for years, as well as performing a “silly dance” while wearing only a sock over his genitals.
Gregg, whose alleged misconduct on MasterChef spans from 2005 to 2022, is also alleged to have faked a sexual act in front of a crew member and made a “rape joke”.
On Thursday night, Gregg broke his silence, thanking people for their “outpouring of support” in a video posted to his Instagram.
The Peckham-born former market trader said in an Instagram video: “I’d like to thank all the people who have reached out, reached out and shown their support.
“Very nice of you, thank you very much.”
Gregg joined the show in 2005. Both he and the BBC are said to be “co-operating fully” with the investigation.
The programme’s creators, Banijay UK, said they were carrying out “an ongoing, external review to fully and impartially investigate”.
A spokesperson said: “While this review is ongoing, Gregg Wallace will be stepping back from his role on MasterChef and is committed to co-operating fully throughout the process.
“Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations of behavior are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.
“Although these are historical allegations, incidents brought to our attention where these expectations have not been met are thoroughly investigated and dealt with appropriately.”
A BBC spokesman added: “We take all issues brought to our attention seriously and have robust processes in place to deal with them. We are always clear that any behavior that falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
“Where an individual is directly employed by an external production company, we share any complaints or concerns with that company and will always support them when approached.”
Recorded episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals with Gregg will continue to air as scheduled.
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Katy pictured with her fellow contestants and hosts Jon and Gregg on Celebrity Masterchef 2013 Credit: BBC
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education