Gregg Wallace has stepped away from MasterChef following several claims of misconduct.
The 60-year-old BBC presenter has been accused by 13 people of making innapropriate sexual comments across several shows over a 17-year period. He has stopped work on MasterChef as the historic allegations are being investigated by the show's production company, Banijay UK.
The company said Wallace, who has denied making inappropriate sexual comments towards women, is “committed to fully cooperating throughout the process”. Part of the statement read: “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.
READ MORE: Gregg Wallace steps down as MasterChef host amid complaints investigation
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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."
Wallace has been married four times and divorced three. Daily Star have taken a look at his current and previous marriages.
Anne-Marie Sterpini: Married 2016 – present
Gregg and his wife Anne-Marie Sterpini have been married since 2016. Their relationship began in 2013, when she reached out to Gregg on X, formerly Twitter, to ask if rhubarb really went with duck.
The presenter replied to Anne-Marie, who is over 20 years Gregg's junior, and they ended up meeting for dinner. Speaking on Lorraine a few years back, Gregg recalled: "I sent her a message and we started sending messages. Then I sent her my phone number, this was five years ago.
"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 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."
The couple tied the knot in 2016 at Hever Castle located in Kent. Gregg's MasterChef co-host John Torode served as best man. In May 2019, Gregg and Anne-Marie welcomed their first son together who they've named Sid Massimo Wallace.
Gregg has also admitted he was worried about their large age gap at first. he said: "People look at you anyway and I felt really conscious because she was younger and I didn’t want people to judge her harshly".
The presenter came under fire earlier this year from those accusing him of not spending time with his four-year-old son, who is autistic and non-verbal. Wallace had revealed his typical weekend routine for The Telegraph's My Saturday column.
In this, he admitted he normally spends an hour and a half of quality time with Sid before two hours of time alone where he plays video games. Wallace said he was "deeply hurt" by backlash to the action-packed regime, after he was accused of not spending enough time with his son and branded a "monster".
Some compared him to Steve Coogan's comedy character Alan Partridge for the regime, which included getting up at 5am, going to the gym to enjoy a private swim and sauna, a breakfast at the local Harvester, lunch made by wife Anna, and video games.
He told The Mirror: "I didn't mind the mickey taking about Alan Partridge, that I understood. But I was deeply saddened by the idea I didn't spend any time with Sid, I was deeply hurt by that."
He also admitted he wouldn't have chosen to have another child if it weren't for Anne-Marie. He 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."
Heidi Brown: Married 2010 – 2011
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Gregg's current wife was not the only lady he previously met on Twitter, as he also found a connection with his previous wife Heidi Brown on the social media platform. Heidi works as a biology teacher and is 17 years Gregg's junior.
They exchanged messages on Twitter too and their relationship quickly blossomed from there. The couple moved in with each other in 2009 - four months after they initially met.
But by the next year, the loved-up pair tied the knot. Despite their whirlwind romance, the marriage ended fairly quickly and they separated just 15 months after their wedding that took place at Coworth Park in Berkshire. Gregg has branded the marriage a "huge mistake".
Denise: Married 1999 – 2004
In 1993, presenter Gregg met his previous wife Denise who worked as a pastry chef. The following year, the couple welcomed their first child together, Tom.
Three years later, their daughter Libby was born in 1997. The couple decided to tie the knot two years later in 1999.
They were married for five years but the couple hit a bump in the road when Denise discovered that Gregg was having an affair with one of his employees. The couple divorced in 2004.
Christine: Married 1991-1991
Gregg met his first wife Christine when he was 24-years-old and working as a greengrocer. The marriage took place fairly quickly and they celebrated the wedding ceremony with a meal in a pie and mash shop nearby.
But the marriage was extremely short-lived and only lasted six weeks. In Gregg's autobiography the star joked that the marriage may have been "possibly the shortest marriage in the world".
He also admitted that he already knew it was a mistake even before they tied the knot.
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