It comes days after Gregg claimed his lawyers believe he is the victim of a ‘terrible injustice’ after he was axed from MasterChef following allegations of misconduct
Could the start of a new year signal a fresh start for Gregg Wallace? The TV presenter has had a dramatic fall from grace following allegations of misconduct which resulted in him being sacked as a main host on Masterchef.
With his TV work dried up, Gregg is utilising his fame in other ways. Just recently, he took to TikTok to plug a range of non-stick ceramic pans, to the surprise of some of his fans. “Greg’s sold out for a fri**in pan [sic],” one follower wrote, while another was quick to show their support.
“I really don’t get all this negativity, whatever happened,” they wrote. “I am sure all have past and I am sure half of you done worst things in your life. only because it is not public it doesn’t mean u have done it. And what is wrong with tiktokshop? You are once on tiktok scrolling and judging [sic].”
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It’s just one online avenue Gregg is exploring. He is also sharing videos relating to his health coaching and getting paid to make Cameo videos. Meanwhile, he is said to be plotting a new life with his wife Anne-Marie Sterpini and their autistic four-year-old son Sid.
The family are reportedly looking to relocate to Italy – Anne-Marie’s homeland and a place Gregg has expressed great love for in the past. “I love Italy, the whole country’s one fantastic restaurant,” he said in a previous interview. “I love it all: the south for the simplicity and beauty of its food, the middle for its history and the north for its style. I am going to retire there.”
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It comes days after Gregg claimed his lawyers believe he is the victim of a ‘terrible injustice’ after he was axed from MasterChef following allegations of misconduct. The 61-year-old is currently suing the BBC in a bid to access unredacted copies of his personal data – a move that could pave the way for a separate legal claim against the corporation.
Speaking to The Mirror about his ongoing legal battle, Gregg said: ‘There is a legal team around me now, and I can’t say too much. They have picked it up and gone: ‘This is a terrible injustice. A terrible, terrible injustice.'”
He added: “They are saying: ‘Here’s an investigation that says you’re not groping, you’re definitely not flashing, you’re not sexually harassing, you’re not bullying anybody. So why are you in this position and who is responsible for it?'”
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Gregg’s dismissal followed a report that upheld more than 40 allegations about his conduct on MasterChef, including one of unwelcome physical contact and three of being in a state of undress . His co-host John Torode was also sacked after an allegation against him using “an extremely offensive racist term” was upheld.
He has since submitted a claim at the High Court claiming up to £10,000 in damages from the BBC for allegedly causing him “distress and harassment”. According to Gregg, the broadcaster failed to comply with his request for copies of his personal data related to “his work, contractual relations and conduct” after sacking him in July.
He could also launch a second action regarding his sacking which centres on his autism diagnosis, which he was diagnosed with at the beginning of last year.
Speaking to fans online, Gregg opened up about how his autism influenced his behaviour while working on Masterchef and other BBC shows. He pointed to the fact that the independent report into Masterchef concluded that his autism diagnosis was ‘highly relevant’ and noted how he used humour to mask his condition. He also claimed that the highly-charged atmosphere in TV studios – coupled with his autism – led to him “tripping up”.
“My job was to be energized and excitable… and when we would go into the studio, first thing in the morning, the directors would whip you up,” he explained.
“They go, ‘You do it again. Give it some energy. Come on. You’re going into a quarterfinal. This is big.’ And they would hype you up, because that’s the energy they wanted.They would let you loose and you are not scripted so your chances of tripping up and saying something inappropriate is really high.”
He added: “When you say something funny, people around you are laughing, like the cameramen and the directors, and so you think it’s okay, but what you don’t expect is someone to come back 12 years later and go, ‘Well, he mentioned this and it was rude.'”
Gregg previously complained nothing was done to investigate his ‘neurodiversity while he was on MasterChef. Under the 2010 Equalities Act, employers must protect those with disabilities, including autism.
In a statement issued after his dismissal, he said: “My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef. Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years. That failure is now being quietly buried.”
Dan Harris, who runs the charity Neurodiversity in Business and is himself autistic, said people like him “may miss social cues sometimes”. “But autism is not a free pass for bad behaviour,” he told the BBC. “Comments like this stigmatise us and add an unfortunate negative focus on our community.”
