Gregg Wallace MasterChef co-star's brutal five-word verdict as replacement revealed

By Fran Winston, Showbiz Reporter

MasterChef: Jean Johansson says she may as well LEAVE show

TV presenter Jean Johansson has "had her say" about her experience with Gregg Wallace after writing "at length" about her time on Celebrity MasterChef in 2018.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk the star, who returns to screens with a new series of the Channel 4 property show next month, has said she won't discuss it further but that it was "nice" to get it all out there.

"I think I've just said all I want," she responded when quizzed about the issue. "I've got my own column...here in Scotland, and it was just great to get everything out in my own words.

"I thought, I'm going to do this one, and that's it. So I'm going to stick to what I wrote [about Gregg]. I wrote about it at length in my coumn. So I think I've had my say, which was nice and which every woman should have a chance to do."

Jean Johansson encountered Gregg Wallace when she took part in Celebrity Masterchef (Image: Channel 4)

In her column for the Sunday Mail at the weekend Jean said she had decided to speak out after Gregg's remarks that the women complaining were “middle class and of a certain age”, as she's younger and working class.

However it was only afterwards when she was promoting the programme and got chatting to Kirsty Wark, who had been a contestant in 2011, that she found he had been exactly the same with them both.

“I remember quite a few moments in our interactions when I was thinking they’ll never use this (on TV) because the things he was saying were so off colour.

“I consider myself someone who loves to laugh, I’m adaptable to new working environments and I can handle different personalities but I was shocked by some of Gregg’s ‘banter’. He’s arrogant, loud and self important, the type of guy who cracks up at his own one liners," she recalled.

Gregg Wallace has been accused of "inappropriate behaviour" (Image: Getty)

“He wasn’t at all what I expected as I’ve always found his on screen persona likeable and fun but in real life he was dismissive, rude and knew exactly when to turn it on for the cameras.”

Gregg has stepped down from his role on MasterChef while the allegations against him are investigated. He denies behaving inappropriately and is fully co-operating.

He has been replaced on the Celebrity Masterchef version of the show by food critic Grace Dent, who regularly appeared on Masterchef a guest.

Dent said hosting the show is "more than a dream to me" and added she felt "very lucky" to be taking over Gregg's role on the show.

Her new co-star John Torode added to this, saying he "loved" working with her on the show, describing her as an "excellent guest and inspiring critic".