The ghostwriter who worked on Wallace’s 2012 autobiography claimed the MasterChef presenter touched her inappropriately
The ghostwriter of Greg Wallace‘s 2012 autobiography has claimed he answered the door wearing only a towel which he later dropped in front of her.
Shannon Kyle, who was 35 at the time, told BBC Newsnight that the MasterChef presenter made “revolting” sexualised suggestions and touched her inappropriately.
Lawyers representing Wallace have denied the accusations, telling the BBC: “Our client has denied that he has engaged in any such behaviour, and he specifically denies any sexual misconduct with Ms Kyle.”
Kyle, 47, was the ghostwriter of Wallace’s memoir Life On A Plate. She accused him of “predatory” behaviour while working on the book in 2012.
She claimed Wallace shared explicit details of his sex life, alleged that Wallace touched her thigh when she was sitting in the passenger seat of his car, and claimed that he groped her bottom after appearing at the Good Food Show in Birmingham.
“I could feel him touching me around my backside,” she told Newsnight. She also claimed that the presenter answered the door wearing only a towel, which he later dropped in front of her.
“I felt quite vulnerable because I’m on my own in a flat with a man. He’s naked,” she told the programme.
Allegations against Wallace have mounted in recent days, with some claims dating back 19 years.
Broadcaster Kirsty Wark was one of the first to publicly accuse Wallace of telling “sexualised” jokes during the filming of Celebrity MasterChef in 2011.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has described the mounting allegations as “grim”, telling Sky News on Thursday morning that employers should take concerns about “workplace harassment” seriously.
“Never underestimate women of a certain age,” she said, adding: “Some of the stories we’ve heard really have been quite grim.”
Cooper did not discuss individual cases but said the “depressing thing is that we hear the same story too many times” about people in positions of power abusing their status.
On Monday, Wallace apologised for claiming complaints about his behaviour came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”, adding he was “not in a good place” and will now “take some time out”.
His lawyers have denied he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
He faces a series of allegations from at least 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, as reported by BBC News on Thursday last week.
Other women have since come forward with further claims against the TV host including presenter Kirstie Allsopp and Emma Kennedy, an actor and author.
Banijay UK – the production company behind BBC’s MasterChef – announced that Wallace would be “stepping away” from his role following complaints of historical misconduct.
A BBC spokesperson said the corporation was “always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated”, adding they would not comment on anything that might form part of the ongoing investigation by MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK.