It has been claimed Gregg Wallace made "racist" comments at the expense of an Asian MasterChef contestant, according to a former colleague.
It comes as the 60-year-old TV star faces allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, as reported by BBC News which said it sent a letter to the TV star’s representatives earlier this week.
Among the BBC News complainants is former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark, who alleged he told jokes of a “sexualised nature” when she was competing on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011.
On Friday, new allegations were made public as a former MasterChef staff member reportedly accused Wallace of using "offensive Asian remarks" and mockingly making "kung fu fighting noises" while on set.
According to The Telegraph, a formal complaint has been lodged with the BBC citing the use of what the complainant calls "racist" language by the presenter during a series filming which featured an Asian contestant. Following the contestant's exit from the set, Wallace would reportedly engage in remarks like "me so horny" and "me sucky sucky" to the crew. The Mirror has approached Wallace for comment on this story and his representatives referred us to their original statement.
Wallace thanked his Instagram followers for "showing their support" on Thursday night, after he announced he was to step away from the BBC cooking show while historical misconduct complaints are externally reviewed. In an Instagram post, Wallace told his followers: "I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reaching out and showing their support. It’s good of you, thank you very much."
The post comes after Wark told the BBC that on two occasions Wallace relayed stories and jokes of a "sexualised nature" in front of contestants and crew and that she felt they were "really, really in the wrong place". BBC News said it had been told of other allegations, including the presenter "talking openly about his sex life, taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to ‘give her a fashion show’, and telling a junior female colleague he was not wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans”.
The TV star’s lawyers say "it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature", BBC News reported. Earlier on Thursday, it was announced that Wallace is "committed to fully co-operating" with an external review by MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK.
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BBC)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.
"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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