Gregg Wallace apologises for ‘middle-class women’ comment
MasterChef presenter Greg Wallace has apologized for suggesting accusations against him came from “a small number of middle-class women of a certain age”.
“I would like to apologize for any offense my post yesterday caused and any upset I may have caused many people,” he said in a video posted on Instagram.
“When I posted it, I wasn’t in a good place in my head. Yesterday, when I posted it, I was under a lot of stress, a lot of emotions, and I felt very alone and under siege.
“It’s obvious to me that I need to take some time off while this investigation is ongoing. I hope you understand and I hope you accept this apology.”
Wallace apologized after a video was uploaded on Sunday in which he said there had been “13 complaints” made by “more than 4,000 contestants” he had worked with on the BBC show MasterChef over 20 years. .
One accuser said the comments showed he had “clearly failed to learn his lesson”, while another said he wrongly “appeared to be saying he was a victim of classism”.
Wallace quit MasterChef last week amid allegations he made inappropriate comments on the show.
The BBC conducted a survey and heard from 13 people of various age groups who had worked on five different programmes.
Wallace has denied sexual harassment.
MasterChef continues on Monday at 21:00 GMT on BBC One, with further episodes planned for Tuesday and Thursday.
However, MP Rupa Hooker suggested the BBC consider suspending the series while Wallace’s behavior is investigated.
