Gregg Wallace is reportedly preparing to take legal action against the BBC and the production team behind MasterChef, claiming he was discriminated against due to his autism following his dismissal from the long-running series.
The TV presenter and former greengrocer, 59, is at the centre of a formal investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct during his time on the show.
Yesterday, it was revealed that 50 more people had approached the corporation with claims about the TV presenter.
Last year the 60-year-old confirmed he was stepping away from MasterChef amid an external review into historical allegations of misconduct.
He faced accusations of making ‘inappropriate sexual jokes’ and lewd comments on set, asking for the phone numbers of female members of production staff, and undressing in front of and standing ‘too close’ to women working on his shows.
While Wallace strongly denies any serious misconduct – including accusations of groping – he admits that his behaviour may have been misinterpreted and attributes much of it to social misunderstandings stemming from his autism, which he was only formally diagnosed with recently.
Insiders suggest that Wallace is arguing his sense of humour and communication style was misunderstood in a neurotypical working environment.
‘Gregg is guilty of bad jokes and rough humour,’ a source told The Telegraph. ‘But so many people on the show talked openly about suspecting that he had autism for years before he got his diagnosis.’
Wallace, who has been a staple of the BBC’s food programming for nearly two decades, claims that his dismissal amounts to workplace discrimination, and sources close to the presenter say he is seeking legal redress under disability rights protections.
The BBC has not yet publicly commented on the potential lawsuit or the findings of the internal review, which are expected to outline a pattern of behaviour deemed inappropriate by production staff over several years.
After BBC News revealed that 50 more individuals had spoken out against Wallace, the TV presenter took to social media.
Writing on Instagram, he said: ‘After 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others.
‘I have now been cleared by the Silkins report of the most serious and sensational accusations made against me.
‘The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation.
‘My decision to go public now is also driven by the fact the BBC News division are intending to platform legally unsafe accusations, including claims which have already been investigated and not upheld by the BBC and found not credible by Silkins.’
Wallace continued: ‘To be clear, the Silkin’s Report exonerates me of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year and finds me primarily guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018.
‘I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise without reservation. But I was never the caricature now being sold for clicks.’
Metro has reached out to The BBC for comment.
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