LISA Faulkner has revealed Gregg Wallace repeatedly told rude jokes on MasterChef, admitting: “I’m probably not allowed to say this.”
The TV presenter, who is married to Gregg’s MasterChef co-host John Torode, made the admission at the Cheltenham Literary Festival over the weekend.
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When asked about her appearance on Celebrity MasterChef in 2010, Lisa said: “Greg was telling – I’m probably not allowed to say this…
“Greg just told rude joke after rude joke to the crew.
“You’re just sitting there and if you’re on the front bench just chopping away thinking, ‘I’ve got ten minutes left,’ and he’s saying, ‘So this girl walked into a bar…’
“And I’m going, ‘Please I don’t want to hear this joke’.”
Lisa was on stage at the festival with John who promoting their new book.
He replied to Lisa: “It’s changed quite a lot really…”
Her comments come after The Sun revealed how Gregg was given a warning by the BBC over his making “inappropriate sexual comments” to a female staffer on BBC gameshow Impossible Celebrities.
Gregg was also spoken to by TV bosses on BBC show Inside The Factory last year when he was accused of continuing to “talk in a derogatory manner, especially to women”.
The incident on Impossible Celebrities in 2018 was previously unreported until someone came forward to The Sun last week.
Gregg, 59, was told to change his behaviour after being hauled into a meeting by BBC bosses.
A source told us: “The BBC took immediate action and Gregg was called in to have a meeting with them.
“He made it clear that he didn’t mean anything by what he said but he was read the riot act and told to change his behaviour.”
The two incidents on BBC shows have called in to question Gregg’s future on MasterChef in light of a fresh BBC probe into “workplace culture”.
They announced the review on Friday and promised to “ensure the consequences of inappropriate behaviour and abuse of power are understood by everyone”.
‘With or without Gregg’
Yesterday a TV source told The Sun MasterChef would continue “with or without Gregg,” and said casting for the next celebrity series of the BBC show had started.
A source said: “MasterChef is a juggernaut of a show and the production is pushing ahead as planned.
“Casting for the new celebrity series started yesterday.
“People are talking about Gregg’s future on the show and whether he will be coming back because of the BBC’s new probe into workplace conduct.
“There are some unanswered questions it seems.”
After The Sun’s report yesterday, a spokesperson for the BBC said: Whilst we do not comment on individuals, if issues are raised they are dealt with swiftly and appropriately at the time.
“We do not tolerate any form of inappropriate behaviour and have robust processes in place.”
Gregg went on to insist he had made the comments but denied they were of a sexual nature.
He said yesterday: “With reference to what’s in the newspapers, these allegations were investigated by the BBC six years ago.
“The allegations were investigations six years ago and my comments were found to be not sexual.”