It has been announced that John Torode will not be returning to MasterChef.
It was announced by the BBC and production company Banijay UK, that Torode’s contract withMasterChef will not be renewed.
This comes just the day after an independent investigation revealed there was an individual on the show ‘who is alleged to have used racist language on one occasion’, and Torode confirmed that it was him.
A Banijay spokesperson said: ‘In response to John Torode’s statement, it is important to stress that Banijay UK takes this matter incredibly seriously.
‘The legal team at Lewis Silkin that investigated the allegations relating to Gregg Wallace also substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against John Torode which occurred in 2018.
‘This matter has been formally discussed with John Torode by Banijay UK, and whilst we note that John says he does not recall the incident, Lewis Silkin have upheld the very serious complaint.
‘Banijay UK and the BBC are agreed that we will not renew his contract on MasterChef.’
A BBC spokesperson added: : ‘John Torode denies the allegation. He has stated he has no recollection of the alleged incident and does not believe that it happened.
‘He also says that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment.
‘The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously. We will not tolerate racist language of any kind and, as we have already said, we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken. John Torode’s contract on MasterChef will not be renewed.’
This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
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