Gregg Wallace has this week been forced to defend himself against a tidal wave of criticism after a column outlining his Saturday routine - with his comments ranging from the hilarious to controversial.
After composing a first-person 'Saturday routine' piece for The Telegraph - in which he discusses what a regular weekend looks like for the MasterChef frontman - he was branded a 'bad dad and husband' by thousands of readers.
In the column - interpreted by many as a 'parody' - the 59-year-old celebrity chef made several inadvertently comedic claims, including that he wakes up at 5am to observe the amount of people who joined his health programme the day prior, and that he meets his PA at Harvester for a full-English breakfast each Saturday.
Advert
There were some other questionable comments made by Gregg - particularly about his wife Anne-Marie Sterpini and their autistic son Sid, four - that have landed him in hot water with his fans.
He wrote that, following his morning at the gym, sauna and Harvester, his wife 'will have [lunch] ready on the table' for him, having cared for their non-verbal son all morning.
Gregg went on to claim that, only at around 1.30pm, he'll spend some quality time with his son, before sharing his views on parenthood at a later age.
Advert
"I'm a much better father now I'm older," he wrote. "Although, another child isn't something that I would have chosen at my age.
"I was always very honest with Anna, but it's what she wanted and I love her."
Gregg went on: "I just requested two things - that we had help in the house (so her mum moved in) and secondly, that we had at least one week a year when we holidayed just the two of us."
The BBC star also confessed to spend two hours on his own every Saturday playing Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia, considering himself an ‘amateur historian’.
Advert
For his comments, Gregg was this week met with colossal backlash from readers.
"Gregg Wallace when he realises he's got to spend some of his Saturday with his son," one Twitter user wrote alongside a sad-faced meme.
Another tweeted: "Gregg Wallace when his wife asks him to spend longer than an hour and a half with his son on a Saturday".
Advert
Today, however, Gregg broken his silence with a social media statement.
Taking to Instagram, the TV star branded his trolls 'nasty', adding: "There are just two things I want to address here with Sid.
"People said 'So you spend an an hour and a half with your son, but then spend two hours on your computer'. No - I'm with my son in the house all the time."
He went on: "I just didn't write down 'Had a tickle with Sid, playing around the living room' - you're not logging every minute of the day.
Advert
"I just logged the blocks. So, it didn't mean that's all I saw him that day."
Gregg claimed he interacts with his son 'all the time', explaining that his column was just a 'snapshot of one Saturday'.
"And the other thing as well - and I'm almost going to cry over this - people saying that Sid was unwanted," he continued, becoming emotional.
"It took us two years to conceive with Sid. Two years."
The on-screen foodie concluded his clap-back by dubbing the comments 'cruel' and 'unfair', insisting that his interview was 'innocent' and adding that he's been left 'deeply saddened' by the negative response.
Topics: BBC, Celebrity, Parenting, TV And Film, Gregg Wallace
Rhianna Benson