Rick Stein has offered his sympathy for fellow TV chef Gregg Wallace - whose career imploded last year in the wake of allegations of inappropriate behaviour behind-the-scenes of his show.
Last year, a string of women stepped forward to accuse Gregg, 60, of making inappropriate comments and touching - allegations he has furiously denied. The MasterChef star made matters worse for himself, however, when he took to social media to defend himself and blamed "middle-class women of a certain age" for speaking out about him.
While the backlash against the star has been severe, he has now been offered a more sympathetic reaction from 78-year-old chef Rick who has said he feels "a bit sorry" for the BBC star. Gregg has been suspended from his BBC jobs pending an investigation into the allegations made against him - which is believed to be ongoing.
Rick said it would “affect me terribly” if he found himself in a similar situation - but made clear that he had not “got any skeletons in a cupboard” himself. However, he added the current experience of his peer was "unfortunate".
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Getty Images)Speaking to The Telegraph, the Rick Stein’s Food Stories host said he knew Wallace, saying he is “just a different personality to me”. He added: “It’s sort of unfortunate if you are that sort of person that you can come a bit unstuck. I think partly he hadn’t really taken on that you can’t say certain things now. It’s not so much that he was a nasty person.
“I’m lucky that I’ve got sons who will instantly tell me, ‘listen, you can’t say this’. And if you don’t pick up on that, the fact that things change, well that’s not very clever. Sometimes you think, ‘I can’t believe this’, and then you think ‘well, that’s the way it is’. There’s no point in getting all stroppy about it.
“I feel a bit sorry for him really. But I don’t like sleaziness so I’m not saying that (about all of Wallace’s behaviour). But he just didn’t realise that the wind had changed.”
Asked if he ever worries about the sort of public scandal Gregg has become embroiled in, he replied: “I don’t. I haven’t got any skeletons in a cupboard. Hopefully. But some people just are unlucky and get involved in something not really [out of] their own fault.”
Gregg’s lawyers previously told the BBC “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”. The most recent series of MasterChef: The Professionals continued to air last year amid allegations against Wallace, but two MasterChef celebrity Christmas specials were pulled from the BBC’s schedule in December 2024.
Food critic Grace Dent has been drafted in to replace Gregg as a judge on the forthcoming 20th season of Celebrity MasterChef alongside John Torode. A BBC spokesperson previously said the corporation will not “tolerate behaviour that falls below the standards we expect” and will continue to champion “a culture that is kind, inclusive and respectful”.
A memo sent to staff by the BBC director-general, Tim Davie, and Charlotte Moore, chief content officer, said the corporation would be supporting MasterChef producer Banijay UK in its investigation. And earlier this month, Banijay UK said in a statement: “It is important to note that MasterChef welfare processes are regularly adapted and strengthened and there are clear protocols to support both crew and contributors. These include multiple ways of reporting issues, including anonymously. HR contact details are promoted and contributors are assigned a point of contact on set available to discuss any issues or concerns.”
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