Gregg Wallace's children, lookalike son and bizarre ultimatum on having more kids

As Gregg Wallace announces he will be taking a step back from MasterChef amid misconduct allegations, the Mirror takes a look at the chef's life and family away from TV

Gregg Wallace once made a savage remark about not wanting more kids later in life.

The father-of-three, 60, has stepped down as host of MasterChef, it was announced yesterday, amid an investigation into his alleged misconduct. Wallace has been accused of making inappropriate sexual comments by 13 people. He has denied the allegations and is "committed to fully cooperating through the process".

Away from the cameras, Gregg is married to his wife, Anne-Marie Sterpini, 37, who he calls Anna, and they share a four-year-old son called Sid. He also had two older children. Here, the Mirror takes a look at his relationship with his kids and what the former BBC1 host has said about them...

In 1999, Gregg married his second wife, pastry chef Denise, and the couple went on to welcome two children, Tom, 30, and Libby, 27. They ended up parting ways in 2004 after it emerged that Gregg had been unfaithful. Denise later raged that her ex-husband would "never change" in a 2009 interview.

Tragically, Denise passed away in 2017 following difficulties with alcoholism. Opening up about her death during an interview with The Times, Gregg, who had custody of their kids, said: "She was so ill and it's so sad... I've had some pretty bad press and people get me wrong. They think I'm a Millwall football hooligan and a womaniser, but I'm not. I like reading history books with a glass of fine wine. And family. Like I say, I love family life."

Earlier this year, Gregg took to his Instagram to share a rare photo of his eldest, Tom, who looks a lot like his father. He didn't provide any details about the picture, instead simply wrote: "Tom Wallace". It came just two months after Gregg wished Tom a happy birthday: "Happy 30th birthday Tom Wallace. Very proud of you."

Gregg is also father to four-year-old Sid, who he shares with Anna. The couple, who have a 20-year age gap, met on Twitter when Anna quizzed the cookery expert about whether rhubarb really went well with duck after seeing him try a recipe on TV. They went on to tie the knot in 2016.

But before things got serious, Anna delivered an ultimatum, telling Gregg that they could only be together if he wanted to have more children with her. Speaking with Event Magazine, Gregg 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'." While they went on to welcome a son, Gregg has previously admitted that he "wouldn't have chosen" to have Sid at his age.

During a chat with The Telegraph, Gregg said: "I'm a much better father now I'm older, although another child isn't something that I would have chosen at my age. I was always very honest with Anna, but it's what she wanted and I love her. I just requested two things – that we had help in the house (so her mum moved in), and secondly, that we had at least one week a year when we holidayed just the two of us."

While on Loose Women, panelist Judi Love asked him what it was like to be an older dad and Gregg replied that he was happy that Anna has someone close to her age to keep her company. He 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."

Gregg has also spoken about his older kids being close siblings to his youngest. Earlier this year, Gregg said that Tom and Libby "adore" their younger brother. He added that they have "melded" into the family.