John Torode's 'ignored' complaints about Gregg Wallace to MasterChef bosses in full

Gregg Wallace's MasterChef co-star John Torode reportedly "raised concerns" about his behaviour to BBC bosses - but they were allegedly ignored.

Wallace, 60, - who has taken a step away from presenting the BBC cooking show - has had historical allegations of misconduct issued against him which are being externally reviewed.

The MasterChef star also faces fresh claims of harassment, including touching a woman's bottom at an event and pressing his crotch against another one while filming on a different show.

His lawyers previously said it was "entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature" and Wallace has vehemently denied all allegations made against him.

However, John Torode, who presented alongside Gregg on the programme, previously said he was horrified to hear that people may have had an "awful" experience.

Sources now claim that Torode had raised his concerns about Gregg's alleged behaviour with Banijay UK, the company who produce the BBC One programme. However, John is unsure as to whether there was ever a formal record as he didn't file an official complaint to bosses.

"John is not stupid — of course, he was aware of some of Gregg's less savoury behaviour. He did not condone it, and nor did he engage with it," a source said.

"He repeatedly flagged his behaviour and poor-taste remarks to execs on set and made clear he wasn’t happy. It was never a formal ­complaint, rather a series of spoken concerns raised.

"He does not know whether any formal record was ever made but the sense he got was that bosses needed to protect the ­MasterChef brand at all costs and that meant turning a blind eye," they told The Sun.

The source claimed that John and his wife Lisa Faulkner were "mortified" by the fall out surrounding the programme and were considering looking into hiring a designated PR expert to help them navigate the scandal.

Last week, Wallace appeared to have been left furious by his MasterChef co-host Torode for remaining silent amid a series of allegations about his workplace conduct.

Wallace unfollowed John and his wife, Lisa Faulkner on Instagram. Those close to Wallace have claimed that he was deeply upset that John had remained tight-lipped following bombshell claims from high-profile stars including Sir Rod Stewart, Kirsty Wark, Charlotte Crosby, and Ulrika Jonsson.

A source said at the time: “Gregg is absolutely furious and is convinced he has done nothing wrong. Seeing John keeping quiet amid all of this has irked him hugely.

"Gregg and John have been colleagues for almost two decades and while they aren’t the closest of friends, Gregg feels John could say something.

"He has deleted them from his Instagram account now and unfollowed both of them. It might seem petty from Gregg but he is furious about how this has all played out," the insider told The Sun.

However, after Wallace took drastic actions in unfollowing his former co-star, Torode then broke his silence. He said: “The thought of anyone who has appeared on our show not having a brilliant experience is awful to hear.”

Almost a week after the news of the allegations against Wallace emerged, he wrote: "Since last Friday I have been away filming MasterChef overseas. I love my job, and I love MasterChef. I love being part of it and will continue to be part of it.

"During the last few days, I’ve been trying to make the best cookery programme, so being busy making the show and caring for our contestants has allowed me little time to think about anything else, but that has been hard.

"But as I hope everyone appreciates there is an investigation underway, which I fully support, so I cannot make any further comment at this stage and I hope that you all understand and respect my silence on the matter moving forward.”

Previously, Torode had bluntly claimed in a previous interview the pair weren't friends. The duo have presented the hugely popular BBC1 programme since 2005, but Torode seemingly does his best to avoid his colleague when the cameras stop rolling.

When Torode spoke to Sunday Mirror in 2017, the now 59-year-old chef said: "We’ve never been friends."

Torode, from Melbourne, Australia, described his colleague as "so OCD" at the time, adding: "It’s funny, we’ve never been friends. We’ve not been to each other’s houses.

"He’s so OCD, he wouldn’t know what to do. He’d build it up in his mind for three days, and probably make himself quite sick, then he’d have an argument with his wife and not turn up. If I went to his house, he would feel like he wasn’t in control."

It comes after MasterChef staff members and former contestants, including celebrities such as Emma Kennedy and Kirsty Wark, have claimed Wallace made them feel uncomfortable on set. On Wednesday, Gregg's ghostwriter, Shannon Kyle, made accusations against the star when speaking to Victoria Derbyshire on NewsNight.

Wallace was accused of asking a British Sign Language interpreter to sign inappropriate phrases. An attendee at the BBC Good Food Show claimed Wallace asked the interpreter to sign "big boobs" and "sexy bum" at the NEC Arena in Birmingham in 2012.

"There was a British Sign Language interpreter there and he wandered over to her at one point and just said: 'Do you have to sign everything I say?' And she said yes, and then he just started saying, 'big boobs', 'sexy bum' – this sort of thing, in order to get her to sign it. It was like he could control her, I suppose," the attendee claimed to the Guardian.

Gregg faces allegations from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, as reported by BBC News on Thursday, with many others since sharing their experiences.

The presenter is "committed to fully cooperating throughout the process" during the BBC's investigation process, a statement from the show's production company Banijay UK said. He has also stepped away from his role on the show amid the investigation.

On Sunday morning, Gregg took to social media to challenge the accusations and claimed they came from "middle-class women of a certain age" prompting Ulrika to say his "ignorance and arrogance knows no bounds". He later issued a grovelling apology and said that he was taking some time away from social media.

The Mirror has approached a Banijay and John Torode spokesperson for comment.

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