A former MasterChef contestant has claimed the allegations against Gregg Wallace are just the "tip of the iceberg". Speaking on condition of anonymity, the ex-contestant described witnessing a "toxic environment" that left him so "horrified" he considered walking out on day one.
Over the weekend, Gregg broke his silence on the complaints. However viewers have slammed him for the language he used in his video rant.
The unnamed MasterChef contestant spoke to Sky's Katie Spencer about the alleged "abuse" from the "production team", confessing his fear of repercussions after signing an NDA. He divulged: "I was horrified.
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"I'd never seen anything like it, genuinely, I was really quite shocked at that really toxic environment. What I witnessed... as a contestant was that there was a systemic problem that was larger than just him, in my view."
"Gregg... would occasionally crack jokes that in different ways felt inappropriate but he wasn't the only one." The contestant suggested Wallace is being "scapegoated" for a wider "culture" that was "offensive" and focused on "mocking".
He continued: "You know, I think it's good that these things are coming out and I'm glad that people are speaking up, it's brilliant," reports the Mirror.
"But I do think it's the tip of the iceberg. I think if you were to really unravel and look at what was going on in that culture at large you'd see a lot more, you know, abuse."
His first day was so "shocking" he wanted to bolt but stayed because he "was just too embarrassed" and didn't want to face "humiliation'.
According to a former contestant, Gregg came across as "the least sweary person" on set amid the camera crew and producers. When pressed for details by Spencer, the contestant specified that "it wasn't everybody", indicating that not all were involved in the alleged conduct.
He also mentioned that he didn't see women engaging in inappropriate behaviour. Meanwhile, Wallace's solicitors have been quick to clarify, stating emphatically: "It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature."
The BBC released a statement and 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. It would be inappropriate for us to comment on anything that could form part of Banijay's ongoing investigation or otherwise influence it."
In a searing series of Instagram Stories, Gregg countered the claims saying: "I've been doing MasterChef for 20 years. Amateur, Celebrity and Professional MasterChef. And in that time, I have worked with over 4,000 contestants of all different ages, all different backgrounds, all walks of life. And apparently now, I'm reading in the paper, there's been 13 complaints in that time. In the newspaper I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle class women of a certain age, just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isn't right."
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