Katy Brand has spoken out after a resurfaced MasterChef clip showed Gregg Wallace directed a “crass” innuendo her way.
On Thursday (28 November), it was revealed that Wallace had stepped down as host of the BBC cookery series amid an investigation into alleged inappropriate comments made across a 17-year period.
Since news broke of the scandal, several stars to have appeared on Celebrity MasterChef, including former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark and Geordie Shore’s Charlotte Crosby, have hit out at the host for alleged remarks they heard when they were filming episodes.
Sir Rod Stewart has also said the host “humiliated” his wife, Penny Lancaster, when she appeared on the show in 2021.
One lewd comment, directed at comedian Brand, actually made it to air in 2013 – and has gone viral in the wake of the news.
In the video, Wallace, while assessing an egg tart made by Brand, told her: “I’ll munch the living daylights out of your little tart.” In response to this, a shocked Brand asked: “Excuse me?”
The Independent contacted Brand for comment, and she has since shared her view of the exchange on Instagram, saying she took it as “an innuendo-laden remark”.
She wrote: “I am aware of the allegations of misconduct currently surrounding Gregg Wallace. I am aware that he has stepped back from presenting MasterChef until these allegations have been properly investigated.
“I am also aware that a video of my time on the show in 2013 is circulating, where Wallace makes a remark to me about a dish I cooked.
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“I took it as an innuendo-laden remark at the time, and I still see it that way now. My reaction on camera was one of shock and disbelief at such a crass and idiotic joke, and so I laughed and said, ‘Excuse me?’ To which he reacted with a deadpan expression and remark about my laughter.
“The video online is a pretty accurate representation of my recollection of what happened. It was awkward.”
Brand added: “For the sake of clarity, I am not one of those who has made an official complaint. I applaud those who have, especially those who work off-camera and who often find they do not have the opportunity or support to react in the moment. I hope they find it now. That’s all I have to say. Thanks.”
Ulrika Jonsson has also accused Wallace of making a “rape joke” while filming a 2017 episode of Celebrity MasterChef.