Gregg Wallace has been accused of groping three women - including one on the set of MasterChef.
The 60-year-old BBC presenter has stepped away from his job hosting the cooking show while an investigation into historic allegations against him takes place. He has been accused by 13 people of making inappropriate sexual comments across several shows over a 17-year period.
Banijay UK, MasterChef's production company, said Wallace would be "stepping away" from MasterChef while it conducted “an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate” the claims made against him. Wallace has denied making inappropriate sexual comments.
READ MORE: Gregg Wallace steps down as MasterChef host amid complaints investigation
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It has now been reported that Wallace groped a woman while MasterChef was being filmed. It's claimed Wallace shouted abuse at the women when she moved away from him and she scalded her hand.
The woman made it clear she was not happy with his alleged behaviour, but said that she "had her card marked" for not considering it "banter". A second woman alleged Wallace approached her in a pub, made lewd comments to her and squeezed her bottom.
Writer and actress Emma Kennedy has publicly claimed she witnessed Wallace approach a female photographer's assistant and "feel her a**e" while she was bent over. Kennedy claims the incident took place in 2012 and she complained to show bosses at the time.
Daily Star has approached Wallace's spokesperson for comment. The presenter's lawyers have said it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
One of the alleged female victims told The Sun: "At the start of filming he came up behind me as I stood at my counter, and looked over my shoulder. “He put his hands on my hips, moved to the back of me, and pressed into me. I made an ‘Eeew’ sound, and stepped forward. It was my instant reaction.
"But it set his mangy teeth on edge and he moved on without saying anything. I wanted him to know you don’t play this game. I was thinking I’ve prepared so long for this competition and it’s in his hands whether I go through. But at the same time I’m not going to prostitute myself for any cooking show."
The woman claims she scalded her hand on hot water after the alleged incident, and that Wallace said "You stupid f***ing cow". She also claims Wallace pushed a camerawoman and told her to get out of his way.
MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK say Wallace is "committed to fully co-operating" with an external review. A statement said: "This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows. Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate.
“While this review is under way, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully co-operating throughout the process. Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set."
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"Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately." The statement added: "If anyone would like to talk to us or raise any issues or concerns, then they can contact speakup@banijayuk.com in confidence."
A BBC spokesman 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."
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