William Sitwell, 55, who frequently appears on MasterChef as a quest judge during quarter finals, has spoken out in support of Gregg Wallace, 60.
The BBC star spoke about Gregg on Times Radio, and spoke about Gregg after he was placed under investigation last month due to historic complaints that he’d made “sexual comments” on set of MasterChef. William said that he “wished Gregg well” and encouraged people to have “sympathy” for him, amid rumours Gregg has given up any hope of returning to the show.
William said: “I'm not gaslighting, you sometimes have to speak from your own experience. And all I know is that, 20 years in that studio, I've never seen him utter an unkind word to anybody deliberately. That's not to say that I'm 100% correct. I did write a piece about him, describing the Gregg that I've known over the years. I'll stand by that. We'll just have to see what comes from the Banijay investigation.”
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BBC)Host John Pienaar responded: “You're taking a loyal line there to a mate. But that's not to say you're just disputing the evidence, the mass of it that's come out of late.”
“Look, I'm not someone who could possibly dispute the evidence,” said William. “I think sometimes it's a good thing to stand by your friends. I know him well. I wish him well. I think it's very difficult to survive under the avalanche of press publicity. I have some sympathy. Let's see what happens.”
Newsnight host Kirsty Wark was among several people who have accused the MasterChef presenter of making inappropriate sexual comments or jokes, with news later emerging that complaints had been made about Gregg when he went on Strictly Come Dancing back in 2014.
The BBC host stepped down from MasterChef due to the investigation, but responded to the accusations with a series of posts on Instagram. In his posts, Gregg vehemently denied having taken part in any wrongdoing.
Now, however, Gregg’s replacement for Celebrity MasterChef has been confirmed, with fan-favourite Grace Dent, 51, set to join John Torode, 59, on the show in 2025. Grace shared a post on Instagram announcing the news today, writing: “I’ve been watching MasterChef since I was a girl sitting with my dad on the sofa. My whole family watches it.
“It’s all about uncovering and championing talent – and to have ended up in this position, is more than a dream to me. I’m so excited that I can’t eat, which is severely detrimental to a restaurant critic. I feel very lucky to be stepping in for the next Celebrity MasterChef. I can’t wait to meet the fresh celebrity faces for 2025.”
John also released a statement, gushing: “I have loved working with Grace on MasterChef over the years. She has been an excellent guest, an inspiring critic and also set some incredible challenges. Expertise is what MasterChef is all about, from the contestants to our wonderful production team, to us as judges. The love of food, the love of MasterChef, and that unquestionable expertise, makes Grace the perfect person to step in alongside me as judge for the forthcoming Celebrity MasterChef series.”
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