29 November 2024, 07:29
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Alamy
Ulrika Jonsson has claimed that Gregg Wallace made a joke about rape on the set of Celebrity Mastermind.
The TV chef has stepped back from presenting Masterchef after nearly 20 years amid allegations of historic misconduct.
Several people have now come forward with claims about Wallace, including Jonsson, a contestant on the celebrity version of the show in 2017.
Jonsson, perhaps best known for being a weather presenter, told the Telegraph that another female contestant had become “really distressed” after Wallace’s alleged remarks.
She saw the woman walking off set and asked her what had happened.
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Jonsson claimed: “She then told us that Gregg Wallace had made a rape joke. She was really distressed about it.”
The contestant then retold the joke to Jonsson, before going off to speak to a producer about the incident.
“They then went off to speak to Gregg,” she said. “After a while he came up…and he apologised.”
“He could hardly get his words out… He was apologising, and he had tears in his eyes.”
Jonsson said that in her opinion Wallace should simply not have told the joke in the first place.
The incident is said to have been handled by managers on set, who did not report it to bosses at production company Banijay.
A series of people have come forward with historical complaints about Wallace over the past 24 hours, both on and off the record.
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Alamy
Among the other people who have complained about Wallace is former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark, who alleged he told jokes of a “sexualised nature” when she was competing on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011.
Wark told the outlet that on two occasions Wallace relayed stories and jokes of a “sexualised nature” in front of contestants and crew and that she felt they were “really, really in the wrong place”.
Sir Rod Stewart also accused Wallace of ‘humiliating’ his wife during the filming of Masterchef, labelling him “tubby, bald-headed, and ill-mannered”.
In a post online, Maggie May singer Sir Rod said Gregg had cut from the show an incident where his wife Penny Lancaster had been ‘humiliated’ by the TV cooking contest host.
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Sir Rod wrote on Instagram: “So Greg Wallace gets fired from Master Chef. Good riddance Wallace.
“You humiliated my wife when she was on the show but you had that bit cut out didn’t you? You’re a tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully. Karma got ya.”
He signed the message ‘Sir Rod Stewart.’
Wallace spoke out about the claims he had made a series inappropriate sexual comments on Thursday night.
“I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reaching out and showing their support,” he said in a video.
“That’s good of you. Thank you very much.”
BBC News said it had been told of other allegations, including the presenter “talking openly about his sex life, taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to ‘give her a fashion show’, and telling a junior female colleague he was not wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans”.
The TV star’s lawyers say “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”, BBC News reported.
Banijay, the production company that makes Masterchef, is investigating the allegations. Wallace is said to be cooperating.
A statement from Banijay said: “This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows.
“Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate.
“While this review is under way, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully co-operating throughout the process.
“Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.
“Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.”
The statement added: “If anyone would like to talk to us or raise any issues or concerns, then they can contact speakup@banijayuk.com in confidence.”
A BBC spokesman said: “We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them.
“We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
“Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them.”