Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his judging role on BBC series MasterChef, following multiple complaints about historical allegations of misconduct.
A statement from the show’s production company, Banijay UK, said Wallace, 60, is 'committed to fully cooperating throughout the process' as an external review is carried out.
This has seen Wallace 'step away' from his role on the long-running cookery competition, which he fronts alongside John Torode.
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Banijay UK's statement said: “This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows.
“Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate.
“While this review is underway, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully cooperating throughout the process.
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“Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.
“Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.”
It added: “If anyone would like to talk to us or raise any issues or concerns, then they can contact [email protected] in confidence.”
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A BBC spokesman said: “We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them.
“We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
“Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them.”
The TV star had previously been accused of inappropriate sexual comments while featuring on Impossible Celebrities in 2018.
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The household name reportedly removed his top, and bragged about sexual encounters he had experienced. The matter was previously investigated by the BBC, which found that he could continue working at the corporation.
Last month, Wallace spoke out for the first time about these allegations, releasing a statement of his own on Instagram.
“The story that’s hitting the newspapers this morning was investigated promptly when it happened six years ago by the BBC," he said.
“And the outcome of that was that I hadn’t said anything sexual. I’ll need to repeat this again. I didn’t say anything sexual.”
Jess Hardiman