TV fans were taken aback to catch a glimpse of Gregg Wallace on their screens this weekend in a weather-centric special.
The 60-year-old presenter stepped back from his BBC roles in November following an investigation into accusations of abusive behaviour during his time on the popular series MasterChef.
Gregg has consistently denied these claims, and since the finale of MasterChef: The Professionals last December, he hasn't appeared on television.
His Christmas specials were also pulled as the probe was set to begin, leading many to speculate he may never return to the broadcaster, especially as Grace Dent has already stepped into his Masterchef shoes, the Mirror reports.,
However, viewers who tuned into Channel 5 this weekend saw Gregg in a new light as he featured in a documentary about the severe cold spell that struck the UK in 2018, titled Beast from the East: The Big Freeze of 2018.
Alongside stars such as actress Laila Morse, Countryfile's Adam Henson, and BBC meteorologist Tomasz Schafernaker, Gregg gave an interview for the show, which aired at 5pm on Saturday.
His appearance left many stunned; one viewer commented on social media: "Gregg Wallace on Beast from the East? Bold move. His reputation's already been through a storm."
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Another bluntly posted: "Obviously C5 don't give a f*** about what he's done."
After being suspended from the BBC, Gregg took to social media to defend himself, attributing the complaints against him to "middle-class women of certain age".
In a controversial video, he reflected on his long-standing television career, stating: "Apparently now, I'm reading in the paper, there's been 13 complaints in that time. 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."
He further lamented in another video: "In 20 years, over 20 years of television, can you imagine how many women, female contestants on MasterChef, have made sexual remarks, or sexual innuendo, can you imagine? "
Meanwhile, his legal representatives firmly refuted all allegations, with a statement released by the BBC in November from Gregg's lawyers asserting: "It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature."
Following the accusations of misconduct, music legend Sir Rod Stewart publicly criticised Gregg, claiming the TV chef had brought his wife, Lady Penny Lancaster, to tears during her stint on MasterChef in 2021.
The rock star vented online: "So Greg Wallace gets fired from Masterchef. Good riddance Wallace... You humiliated my wife when she was on the show but you had that bit cut out didn't you? You're a tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully. Karma got ya."
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