Gregg Wallace insisted in-laws move in to keep fourth wife, 38, 'sexy' after baby

Gregg Wallace's wife defiantly showed off her wedding ring yesterday following damning allegations levelled against her husband.

The MasterChef star - who has taken a step away from presenting the BBC cooking show - has had historical allegations of misconduct issued against him which are being externally reviewed. Now, the 60-year-old faces fresh claims of harassment, including touching a woman's bottom at an event and pressing his crotch against another one while filming on a different show. His lawyers previously said it was "entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature".

Meanwhile, the presenter's fourth wife, Anne-Marie Sterpini, is standing by him in light of the allegations. They tied the knot in 2016 after first interacting on X, formerly Twitter, and now the couple shares a four-year-old son, Sid. Wallace declared that after three failed marriages, meeting the "love of his life", Anne-Marie, was like "winning the lottery".

It's a fairly unconventional romance as Anne-Marie, or Anna as her husband affectionately calls her, is 38, meaning there is a 22-year age gap between the couple. But their unique relationship doesn't end there as they also have an unusual living arrangement, with Anne-Marie's parents also residing with the family-of-three. Wallace suggested his wife needed extra help around the house after she became a mother for the first time, citing that he wanted to keep his wife as his "fun, sexy girlfriend" post-motherhood.

In addition to son Sid, the presenter has two other children, Libby and Tom, with his second wife, former pastry chef Denise, who he was married to between 1999 and 2004. Before then, he tied the knot with his first wife, Christine, in 1991 - but their marriage only lasted six weeks. Wallace was also married to Heidi Brown between 2011 and 2012 - which he later dubbed a "huge mistake".

Since getting married a fourth time, Wallace says Anne-Marie has changed his life for the better and helped him to lose five stone. Appearing on Good Morning Britain in January this year, he explained: "That young woman has revolutionised my life, there's a 22-year age gap, we have been together ten years and have a son, Sid, and I want to be there for them."

The presenter has spoken candidly about his romance over the years and gave an insight into how they sparked up a romance online. The mum-of-one asked him if rhubarb really went well with duck after seeing him try a recipe on a cooking show.

He previously told HELLO! Magazine: "I just looked at Anna's photo and thought, 'Wow, she's pretty'. So yes, rhubarb, which was considered an aphrodisiac in medieval times, brought us together." He later shared more about their love story while appearing on ITV's Lorraine, revealing they soon took their romance from Twitter to texting.

However, Anne-Marie wasn't as sure until they met up for the first time in person. "She came down to London to have dinner with me, and she said it wasn't until we got to the restaurant, that she was comfortable it was really me and not an impostor," he continued.

The pair got married at Hever Castle in August 2016 after three years of dating, and said 'I do' in front of guests including MasterChef stars including John Torode, who was best man, Lisa Faulkner, Marcus Wareing, and Monica Galetti. Speaking to Kate Thornton about love on the White Wine Question Time podcast, he said: "What has love taught me? That it is an absolute game of chance and that is it. It is a complete and utter lottery. I am very fortunate I got the winning ticket. I won the Euro Millions the day that young lady walked into my life."

Despite this being his fourth time down the aisle, the food critic was keen for everyone to know he was serious about his relationship and wasn't rushing into another marriage. He told HELLO! Magazine: "Meeting Anna has brought me what I think I've always been searching for – that big, warm family dynamic and there's real strength in that.

"I'm very conscious of people thinking I just do this willy-nilly. But we haven't rushed into this – we've been together for three years and I truly have never met anyone like Anna." The presenter went on to share how she was his "dream girl" and is "beautiful inside and out".

Since getting married, the couple have also spoken about their huge age gap, with Wallace making jokes about it - especially after the birth of their son Sid in May 2019. Speaking on Loose Women, panellist Judi Love asked him what it was like to be an older dad, to which Wallace joked: "Baby Sid. You haven't met Mrs Wallace but I was really pleased she had a baby because it's someone at home more her own age to talk to."

Anne-Marie being able to have a baby with the TV star was a sticking point for the couple as they had to to have serious discussions about starting a family very early on in the relationship. Speaking with Event Magazine, Wallace said: "When you fall in love with a younger woman, you’ve got to realise that the chances are they are going to want a family. I remember [her] saying to me, 'I’m going to want to get married and have children. If that’s not what you want, then don’t mess me about'."

Meanwhile the couple's living arrangements have raised eyebrows, as the presenter revealed they live in his £1 million Kent mansion with Anne-Marie’s parents, Rina and Massimo. In an interview with the Daily Mail in 2020, Wallace revealed that the arrangement came about when his wife told him she wanted to have children.

"I said: ‘Yes, I’m willing to have a baby with you, but a couple of provisos...I’m not willing to swap my fun, sexy girlfriend for an exhausted mum. We make enough money, I’d like you to get help in the house.’ Anna said ‘What about my mum?’ That was perfect,” he explained.

He revealed that his in-laws also help around the house, and even sleep with Sid in their room for half the week so the married couple get a break. While he has an unusual set-up with his in-laws, he does have a close bond with mother-in-law Rina, because they’re very close in age. “I love Rina - we have such a giggle. We are roughly the same age,” he told The Sun. ”Me and Rina remember the same TV shows and sing the same 1970s pop songs. Anna doesn’t know what we are talking about. We were singing Boney M at breakfast this morning and Anna has no idea.”

Wallace now faces allegations of harassment - with one woman saying he touched her bottom after an event while another said he pressed his crotch against her while filming on a different show. He has also been accused 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 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.

Earlier on this week, it was announced that Wallace is “committed to fully co-operating” with an external review by MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK. 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.”

Wallace apologised on Monday for claiming complaints about his behaviour came from "a handful of middle-class women of a certain age", adding he will now "take some time out".