Ainsley Harriott has shared his opinion on the Gregg Wallace allegations.
The MasterChef judge, 60, announced he would “step aside” from presenting the BBC cooking show at the start of December while numerous allegations of misconduct are investigated.
Harriott, 67, who appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in August, shared his experience on the show and claimed Wallace had been “fantastic”.
Speaking at the Television and Radio Industries Club, Hariott said, per MailOnline: “If you look at a programme that’s been successful for many, many, many years, there’s a reason why.
“The whole crew, including Gregg, was fantastic. I had a great experience.”
When asked if he would take over the MasterChef host role in Wallace’s absence, Harriott replied: “It’s a tough gig.”
He explained: “Judging food or judging anything is harder. But I’ve got kids – my daughter is 31 and she just turned around and said, ‘It’s not for you, Dad, it’s for our generation.’ And it really is.
Harriott continued: “You have to look at who’s coming forward. People talk about ‘woke this, woke that.’ No, it’s now. It’s where we live. This is society. We live it, breathe it, live it, love it.”
The celebrity chef explained that having young grandchildren had given him a new perspective on the world.
“Protect it. Respect those people. I was there once, you know, 30 years ago, and it’s their time now,” he said. “Let them develop. Let the world come alive.”
Earlier this month, Banijay UK, the production company behind MasterChef, announced that Wallace would be “stepping away” from his role on the BBC show following complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct.
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On 3 December, Wallace faced fresh allegations with BBC News reporting that one woman said he touched her bottom after an event and another said he pressed his crotch against her while filming on a different show.
The new allegations came after the outlet reported claims from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, with many others sharing their experiences.
BBC News reported that his lawyers strongly denied “he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”.
A BBC spokesperson previously said the corporation takes any issues that are raised with it “seriously” and is clear that “any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated”.
The broadcaster added that it would be “inappropriate” to comment amid the external review by Banijay UK.