Gregg Wallace blames accusations on 'a handful of middle-class women of a certain age'
Gregg Wallace has defiantly said that the accusations against him come from "middle-class women of a certain age". He posted a video online after new allegations were made against him.
It comes after it was announced Wallace was to step away from the BBC cooking show while historical misconduct complaints are externally reviewed by MasterChef producers Banijay UK.
The 60-year-old also faces allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, as reported by BBC News, which said it sent a letter to the TV star's representatives earlier this week.
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Wallace's lawyers say "it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature".
In the video he posted, Wallace says he has worked with more than 4,000 contestants over the years "of all different ages, background and walks of life". .For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter
He said: "I've been doing Masterchef for 20 years, amateur, celebrity and professional Masterchef. And I think that in that time I've worked with 4,000 contestants of all different ages, all different backgrounds and all walks of life.
"And apparently now I'm reading in the papers that there have been 13 complaints in that time. Now, in the newspaper, I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle class women of a certain age just on celebrity Masterchef. This isn't right.
"In over 20 years of television, can you imagine how many women, female contestants on Masterchef have made sexual remarks or sexual innuendo, can you imagine."
He also posted a cryptic message on Instragram with the message "We are all different". Comments on that post included one that said "Made my recent Masterchef experience a memorable one. So encouraging, so helpful, made everyone in the kitchen feel reassured and at ease. A top man!"
Another said: "Filmed with Gregg two years ago. An absolute gentleman!"
