MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace has responded after singer Sir Rod Stewart branded him a ‘tubby, bald-headed, ill mannered bully’.
Gregg, 60, initially stepped down from the franchise after the BBC announced it was investigating historical allegations of misconduct against him.
He was then officially sacked after the bombshell Silkins review, commissioned by MasterChef production company Banijay UK, upheld 45 allegations against him, including a case of ‘unwelcome physical contact’.
In the wake of the news that the BBC was investigating Wallace’s behaviour, Glastonbury headliner Sir Rod shared a post in which he claimed the host ‘humiliated’ his wife, Penny Lancaster, when she was on the show in 2021.
He wrote: ‘So Gregg Wallace gets fired from Masterchef. Good riddance Wallace.
(Picture: Alan West/Hogan Media/Shutterstock)
‘You humiliated my wife when she was on the celebrity version of the show, but you had that bit cut out didn’t you?
‘You’re a tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully. Karma got ya. Sir Rod Stewart.’
In an interview with The Sun, Gregg responded to the hitmaker’s remarks, stating: ‘I’m actually a Rod Stewart fan.
‘I’ve been to see him twice. So that hurt me. Somebody like that carries a lot of weight. But there was no bullying and no harassing.’
Speaking about Sir Rod’s Instagram post on Loose Women in December, presenter Penny admitted: ‘I didn’t realise my husband had sent that post out until it was out. And of course, you can imagine the influx of inquiries there were.
A timeline of allegations against Gregg Wallace
2005 to 2011
A report by law firm Lewis Silkin found there were 27 substantiated claims against Wallace relating to alleged incidents during this period, most of which related to sexually explicit comments.
One allegation of unwanted physical contact during this timeframe was also substantiated.
The report found that when concerns were reported to the production company during this period, there was a failure to retain records of any action taken.
2012 to 2018
The report found that 17 upheld allegations relate to this period.
In 2015, the production company behind MasterChef investigated an allegation about Wallace’s behaviour, but he was not made aware of the complaint.
The following year, the production company merged with Endemol, and more formal policies, regular training, and anonymous reporting lines were introduced.
The BBC intervened in response to a complaint in 2017, following which Wallace was warned of the need to change his behaviour.
2019 to 2024
One substantiated complaint about an inappropriate comment fell into this period.
November 2024
Wallace faced allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people across a range of shows over 17 years, BBC News reported.
The TV star stepped away from presenting MasterChef while Banijay, the show’s production company, announced that it was conducting an external review to ‘fully and impartially investigate’ the claims.
BBC News said allegations include the presenter ‘talking openly about his sex life, taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to “give her a fashion show”, and telling a junior female colleague he was not wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans’.
The charity Ambitious About Autism said it had dropped Wallace as an ambassador, citing the ‘recent allegations’.
Banijay UK confirmed it appointed law firm Lewis Silkin to lead the investigation into Wallace’s alleged behaviour.
December 2024
Wallace said in a video posted to Instagram that accusations about him making sexual comments towards staff and guests have come from ‘middle-class women of a certain age’.
Downing Street said Wallace’s response to the accusations being made against him was ‘inappropriate and misogynistic’.
A spokesperson added that Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had held talks with BBC bosses in the wake of the Wallace row.
Following the backlash, Wallace apologised for any ‘offence’ or ‘upset’ he caused with his remarks and said he would ‘take some time out’.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said politicians should be ready to put in place ‘mechanisms’ that would instil ‘confidence’ that women will be taken seriously in reports of inappropriate behaviour after a Labour MP asked him about ‘women of a certain age’, reflecting comments Wallace apologised for.
MasterChef co-presenter John Torode said in a social media post that he ‘loves being part of’ the programme and ‘will continue to be a part of it’.
April 2025
Wallace told the Daily Mail he ‘thought about suicide all the time’ after allegations of misconduct were made against him.
July 8-9, 2025
Wallace was sacked as MasterChef presenter following the inquiry into his alleged misconduct by production company Banijay.
BBC News said it had not seen the final review from Banijay but understood the presenter had been sacked.
In an Instagram post, the former greengrocer claimed he had been cleared of the ‘most serious and sensational accusations’ ahead of the published review.
He also said he recognised that some of his humour and language were inappropriate ‘at times’ and apologised for this.
July 14, 2025
The report by law firm Lewis Silkin for Banijay is published.
It says that a total of 45 out of the 83 allegations made against Wallace during his time on the show were substantiated, including one allegation of ‘unwelcome physical contact’.
It concludes that the ‘majority of the substantiated allegations against Mr Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour’, adding that ‘a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated’.
In the wake of the report’s findings, Banijay say that ‘Wallace’s return to MasterChef (is) untenable’.
‘I most definitely was witness and victim to some of the bullying and harassment behaviour of Gregg Wallace, and unfortunately, a lot of those involved in the production team were also witness to that.
‘I really feel that he used his position of power to, I believe, intimidate and cause distress to a lot of people on set.’
TV presenter and former greengrocer Gregg was followed out the door by his MasterChef co-presenter John Torode, after the report included an accusation that he had used racist language.
He went on to say that he had unfollowed John and his wife Lisa Faulkner on social media, adding that the MasterChef co-presenters ‘never got on that well’.
He added that he understands he said things that caused offence and that those on the receiving end were perhaps ‘too intimidated or nervous’ to report the incidents at the time.
Wallace went on to apologise to those he had hurt, saying he ‘doesn’t expect sympathy’.
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