BBC breaks silence on Gregg Wallace's furious statement as he's fired from MasterChef

The BBC has issued a statement after former MasterChef host Gregg Wallace hit out over his axing.The presenter, 60, was accused of making inappropriate sexual comments and jokes over a 13-year period last year.

He stepped away from his role on the hit BBC cooking contest while an investigation took place. Today,he has been axed following a nearly year-long probe into misconduct claims. Wallace has said he has been exonerated of the most serious allegations levelled against him, after reportedly being informed of his dismissal from the BBC by production company, Banijay.

In a statement on Instagram, he wrote: "I have taken the decision to speak out ahead of the publication of the Silkins report - a decision I do not take lightly. But after 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others.

"I have now been cleared by the Silkins report of the most serious and sensational accusations made against me. The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures, which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation."

Wallace went on to accuse the BBC of "peddling sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories". He added: "To be clear, the Silkin's Report exonerates me of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year and finds me primarily guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018.

"I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise without reservation. But I was never the caricature now being sold for clicks."

He said: "I was hired by the BBC and MasterChef as the cheeky greengrocer. A real person with warmth, character, rough edges and all. For over two decades, that authenticity was part of the brand. Now, in a sanitised world, that same personality is seen as a problem.

"My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of Master Chef.

"Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over twenty years. That failure is now being quietly buried."

Following Wallace's statement, the BBC issued their own. A BBC spokesperson said: “Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace. We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.”

A series of complaints were made about Wallace last year, including 'inappropriate behaviour' and allegations of touching an assistant's bottom on the BBC show.

Wallace stepped down from MasterChef after denyingthe allegations, with his lawyers strongly denying he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature. He insisted via his legal team: "It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature."

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