The allegations against Gregg Wallace continue to mount as the former MasterChef host is now facing fresh claims of ‘groping’ and inappropriate ‘touching’.
Wallace stepped down from the show last week after pressure from an initial accusation ultimately resulted in a total of 13 individuals coming forward to lodge formal, historical complaints.
Spanning across a 17-year period, with the 60-year-old having worked on MasterChef and other TV projects for nearly two whole decades, these latest allegations were put to his representatives on Tuesday but Wallace still strongly denies engaging in anything of a “sexualised nature”.
According to the latest in the BBC News investigation, he is now accused of numerous instances of both sexually-charged comments and behaviour. Actor, comedian, writer and fellow TV personality Emma Kennedy also says she believes he “does not understand” when he’s being inappropriate.
“As she was bending over, Gregg put his hands over her buttocks, and then turned to me and went ‘Cor!’”@EmmaKennedy tells #TimesRadio she believes Gregg Wallace “fundamentally does not understand” when he is being inappropriate.@AyeshaHazarikapic.twitter.com/xqzwfQsDGz
Speaking to the corporation, one woman referred to only as ‘Lisa’ says that while filming for the Eat Well For Less show at a supermarket back in 2015, Wallace “brushed past me at the checkout, and touched my bum with his waist and penis and laughed and said ‘oooh you liked that didn’t you’.”
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Despite insisting she felt like she just had to get on with her job at the time, she says: “I wasn’t ok about it. When I finished the shoot, I felt it was slimy, disgusting. He just didn’t need to touch my body, it made me uncomfortable.” She also says she raised the issues with a senior colleague but nothing happened.
In a separate incident, Wallace is also accused of touching another woman inappropriately after he asked her to walk him to the car park after an event. “As we walked down, he started putting his arm around me, saying ‘Go on, hold my hand, don’t you want to stand next to me?’ It was totally out of the blue, and totally unwanted”, she said.
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The anonymous woman said she was later pulled into a group hug in an elevator, during which she claims the long-serving MasterChef co-presenter and household name “put his hand on my bottom and groped me”, adding, “It made me feel gross, it was horrible.”
She went on to say that although she still struggles to see his face on TV and feels “sad that so many people are coming forward”, she’s also relieved that so many have spoken out about their experiences.
MasterChef production company, Banijay UK – who are working in full cooperation with the BBC as part of their own internal investigation – state they have no record of these issues being raised at the time of the incidents, reiterating that this is the case for all 13 women who have now filed complaints.
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Banijay and BBC have agreed to pull the two already recorded 2024 MasterChef Christmas special episodes that were scheduled to air on BBC One this month.
Meanwhile, while Wallace is still yet to respond to these most recent allegations, he still categorically denies the claims already put forward.
The former greengrocer and restaurant owner did, however, apologise for a recent response video he made during which he received additional backlash for citing those who complained as “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age” – a comment which a No.10 official branded “misogynistic”.
Drama Call opening first-ever flagship shop in Manchester
Danny Jones
Streetwear superstars Drama Call are opening their new flagship store and first-ever permanent site in Manchester city centre this weekend.
Expect massive queues and lots turning up wearing the increasingly recognisable starry logo.
Already a much-loved brand not just here in 0161 but across the nation at large, the native independent business turned street-style favourites and UK fashion phenomenon are no strangers to HUGE pop-ups in their hometown.
However, they’ve never had a mainstay location anywhere in the country, let alone Greater Manchester – well, until now, that is…
Credit: Press shots (supplied)
Debuting in the Northern Quarter this Sunday, the venue located on Tib Street will effectively serve as Drama Call‘s new HQ.
The local label has done everything from popping up vans with Manc rapper Aitch to collaborating with Man United for multiple limited edition collections, so it only felt like a matter of time before they’d make a big brick-and-mortar splash in our fair city.
Most notably, they’re also taking over the same unit as the Sheep Shop, a former skate shop and legendary urban clothing tastemaker of the 90s; they were one of the first places in Britain to stock famous names like Stüssy, Supreme, Carhartt, The North Face and many more.
With that in mind, it feels only fitting that they carry on the trendsetting tradition from the same premises, and just spitting distance from the likes of Note, as well.
And that’s not all, either: before the full launch, they’ll also be holding an exclusive cash-only shirt swap event, where a limited number of certain collector’s items will be sold for as little as £10.
Other things to note are the additions of signed vinyls by homegrown artists such as the aforementioned Aitch and even The Smiths.
In fact, the store will also feature strictly Mancunian exclusives, too.
Everything from polo shirts and tees to branded mugs, matchboxes and other accessories will be available in-store only.
NQ is bound to be buzzing across launch weekend, with doors officially opening to the public on Sunday, and we wouldn’t be surprised if you see people camping outside the front well ahead of time.
What a moment the Manc shopping scene is having right now.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via Pear)
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Andy Burnham explains why Number 10 North is so important as it officially ‘opens for business’
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has explained his key reasons for launching Number 10 North as it officially ‘opens for business’ this week.
You may remember that earlier last month, Andy Burnham revealed he had intentions to create a Number 10 North if he was to become Prime Minister, with the new base expected to be a ‘dominant driver of the UK’s economy’ once it was officially up and running… and now, fast forward to today, Number 10 North is officially ‘open for business’.
Operating from Heron House in Manchester city centre, as previously reported on, Number 10 North will be the Government’s new ‘situation room for growth’.
It also brings the ‘levers’ of local economic growth and devolution together under one roof for the first time ever.
Number 10 North has officially ‘opened for business’ / Credit: gov.uk (via Wikimedia Commons)
With the Prime Minister expected to work from Number 10 North each week, so that decisions about the country’s economic future will no longer exclusively be made in Westminster, and with other ministers also working from there on a regular basis, the Government says the move underlines its determination to ‘do things differently’.
Now that Number 10 North has officially opened, Andy Burnham and his fellow ministers have explained why this move is so important for not just Manchester, but the north as a whole.
“For 40 years, power and resources have been sucked into the centre, and too many communities have felt forgotten, without the attention and investment they deserve,” explained Andy Burnham.
“Number 10 North will change that by putting more power into every postcode across the entire country. It will be the situation room for making Britain better, the place we use to get power out of Westminster, into the hands of people at a local level, so that they can turn things around.
“The days of Whitehall resisting devolution are over, for good.”
First Secretary Louise Haigh added: “Today marks a fundamental re-balancing of where power sits in our country. Number 10 North has been set up to drive economic growth in every postcode and put power in the hands of every community.
Danny Jones -
4th December 2024 
