Master Chef John Torode said he had discovered recent allegations of harassment against a fellow host Gregg Wallace “It was really disturbing.”
In his first comments, when the new wave of allegations against Wallace was made, Torode confirmed that he remained part of the program and supported the investigation that was underway.
“The thought of someone who appeared on our show not having a great experience is terrifying to hear,” Torode said in an Instagram post.
“When Friday finally took me away from filming” MasterChef overseas I love my job, and I love MasterChef. I love part of it, and continue to be part of it.
Torode, who presented Wallace’s show since 2005, said: “For the past few days I have tried to make the best cooking program, so busy making the show and taking care of our fighters allowed me little time to think about something else, but it was hard.
“But as I hope everyone appreciates, it’s a question I fully support, so I can’t comment further on this matter, and I hope you all understand and respect my silence on this matter going forward.”
BBC News last week brought allegations from 13 people across the ages who worked on five different programs, making allegations of inappropriate sexual comments at Wallace.
People who have come forward with allegations against Wallace include former BBC Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, who said he told stories and jokes of a “sexual” nature in front of the contestants and the crowd who were on Celebrity MasterChef.
Melanie Sykes also told him she made a silent complaint of Wallace, saying that working with him on Celebrity MasterChef in 2021 was his reason to retire from TV. On Tuesday. the The BBC have pulled off two MasterChef celebrity Christmas specialsA day Waleys had excused to dismiss the accusers as “Middle-class women of a certain age”adding that he would take some time off.
Wallace is facing a series of allegations of past wrongdoing – including three counts of inappropriate touching – which are being investigated by MasterChef production company, Banijay UK. Previously, Wallach’s lawyers said he had denied any sexually harassing behavior.
The BBC said it takes complaints seriously and has robust processes in place to deal with them, but would not comment on anything that is part of an ongoing investigation by Banijay UK.