MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has made a "non specific apology" in his update following his 'middle-aged woman' comments, a body language expert has claimed.
The presenter is facing a series of allegations about his behaviour after a number of people claimed he had used inappropriate sexual language while at work. Other claims emerged to suggest he has groped women and used racist terminology - allegations the star himself has furiously denied.
Attempting to confront the allegations over the weekend, Wallace released a string of videos via Instagram Stories in which he argued those making claims against him were "a handful of middle class women of a certain age". On Monday, Wallace issued an apology video "for any offence that I caused with my post yesterday and any upset I may have caused to a lot of people".
Analysing Wallace's two videos, body language expert Judi James told the Mirror: "This new video shows Wallace in a very contrasting body language state from the 'I have been doing Master Chef for twenty years' video he posted previously. In the first video we can see him standing straight on to camera, looking splayed and performing some body-bristling and elbow-pumping that seems congruent with the tone of defiance.
"His cheek-dimpling is visible here to make him totally recognizable and his comments come with shoulder and eyebrow-shrugs. His tone sounds indignant, from his mini-CV at the start to his shout-out to ‘middle class women’. He bounces in his seat as though full of energy and speaks with a strong vocal tone and eye contact, smacking his lips together between points to suggest authority.
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INSTAGRAM)His phrasing also suggests emphatic authority when he gets to his key words. The ‘middle class’ comes with a pause in between each word and the word ‘apparently’ is singled out for extra tonal emphasis." Addressing his updated apology, Judi added: " The latest video seems to show Wallace as the victim now, with a big body language change from one day to the next.
"The dimpling has gone, and his facial expression is grave, with a slight jutting of the lower teeth. There are two frown lines etched between his brows and his voice sounds hoarser and rather breathy to hint of the stress he says he is suffering. As he talks about his own state: not being in a 'good head space', suffering a 'huge amount of stress' feeling 'very alone' and 'under siege' he performs a micro-grimace like a wince of pain, followed by an emphatic head baton and lip clamp to hammer the message home.
"As he says he needs to 'take some time out' he performs an eyebrow flash of acknowledgment then a mouth clamp. Verbally this is a non-specific 'apology' about 'any offence I caused' rather than a more specific, detailed behavioural one." Over the weekend, Wallace said: "I’ve been doing MasterChef for 20 years. Amateur, Celebrity and Professional MasterChef.
"And in that time, I have worked with over 4,000 contestants of all different ages, all different backgrounds, all walks of life. And apparently now, I’m reading in the paper, there’s been 13 complaints in that time. In the newspaper 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 added: "In 20 years of television, can you imagine how many women, female contestants, on MasterChef have made sexual remarks or sexual innuendo. Can you imagine?" Today, the MasterChef star said: “I want to apologise for any offence that I caused with my post yesterday and any upset I may have caused to a lot of people.
“I wasn’t in a good headspace when I posted it, I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, I felt very alone, under siege yesterday when I posted it. It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out, now, while this investigation is under way I hope you understand and I do hope you will accept this apology.”
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