Gregg Wallace breaks silence on BBC lawsuit as he thanks for 'courageous' support

Gregg Wallace has responded to fan who has praised him for suing the BBC for sacking him from MasterChef.

The axed MasterChef host is launching legal action against the BBC. The presenter reportedly filed a lawsuit with the High Court on Tuesday which made a data protection claim against the BBC.

It comes just months after he was fired from MasterChef after a report into allegations of misconduct upheld 40 claims against him. The 60-year-old greengrocer presented the show for 21 years alongside John Torode before the hosting duo were sacked following upheld allegations in the report.

A report into Wallace's behaviour on MasterChef commissioned by production company Banijay UK found earlier this year that 45 out of 83 allegations against him were substantiated. The upheld complaints related to sexual language and humour with a smaller number relating to him "being in a statement of undress" and one involved "unwanted physical contact".

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At the time, Wallace accepted that his humour was "inappropriate" on the show but believed himself to be a victim of "baseless and sensationalised" claims. He said in a social media post: "I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience."

Wallace is now reportedly seeking the release of hundreds of pages of secret documents to help clear his name. The BBC said in a statement to BBC News: "We have not been formally notified of any legal proceedings so at this stage we are unable to comment."

Former Masterchef star Wallace has now responded to fan on Instagram after the news. Wallace's admirer has praised the TV star, admitting that they are glad he is suing the BBC.

"It's great to see you are suing the BBC," the fan wrote. "Support in the workplace for neurodivergent people has to be upheld. Neurodivergent is so complex and affects day to day life in so many ways. Those who continue to harass and belittle you behind a screen are ignorant, and my question to them is, 'If your family member had struggles, would you cast them aside and ridicule them?'...Its no joke! Come for me, if you must. it's pathetic."

In response, Gregg said: "That’s powerful and courageous and I thank you."

Wallace's co-star Torode was also fired after the report upheld an allegation that he had used a severely offensive racist term. Torode said that he has "no recollection" of the incident.

On Tuesday, BBC director general Tim Davie defended the decision to air the current series of MasterChef, which features Wallace and Torode, to the UK Parliament's Culture, Media and Sport Committee. He said that the "vast majority" of chefs on the series wanted it to air despite the duo presenting it.

"I think it was on judgment the right thing to do, but I understand that you could see both sides of the argument very clearly," he said. "I think the consequences for the individuals who presented MasterChef have been very significant, they're no longer working with the BBC, so there are those consequences.

"The other thing in my mind is people can choose to watch it or not, so there's an element of trust in the audience."

The Mirror has approached a BBC spokesperson for comment on this story.

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