Gregg Wallace comment left me crying with humiliation, former MasterChef contestant claims
A former MasterChef contestant has told Sky News that Gregg Wallace made innuendos “constantly” during filming and was heard by crew members – and that one sexually inappropriate comment left her in tears.
Jackie Kearney, who is now a chef and recipe book author, finished fourth in the BBC cooking show in 2011, and later returned as a guest judge.
Following the rise of the #MeToo movement in 2017, she told Sky News correspondent Ashna Hurynag she felt it was “only a matter of time” before claims of Wallace‘s alleged inappropriate comments emerged.
She said she had been “troubled” by his “household favourite status” over the years, as she felt he was “a bit of a sleaze behind closed doors”.
Warning – this story includes offensive comments of a sexual nature
Gregg Wallace’s lawyers say ‘it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature’. Pic: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
Wallace, 60, has stepped away from hosting MasterChef while allegations he made sexual comments towards staff and celebrity guests, on a range of programmes over 17 years, are investigated.
His lawyers have said “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”.
During her time on the show, Kearney said the presenter would make “sexual innuendos about women when they weren’t in earshot”, as well as in front of them. “There were several times that he would comment on my legs, or comment on the skirts I was wearing… he made a comment once: ‘If I’d known you had legs like that, maybe you’d have made it further’.”
In 2015, Kearney published the first in a series of books about vegan food. Following the publication of her second in 2017, she returned to MasterChef as a guest judge and said she wanted to give Wallace and his co-presenter John Torode a copy.
“I was feeling really proud of it,” she said. “John as ever was a complete gentleman.” Wallace was “in the middle of filming”, she said, in the studio having his make-up retouched when she approached him.
“There was crew everywhere and he was mic’ed up,” she said. “I came into the studio and was like, ‘Hi Gregg, I’ve got something for you!’ And he said, ‘Oh, is it a present for my cock?'”
Kearney says Wallace’s co-presenter John Torode (left) was always ‘a complete gentleman’. Pic: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
‘Nobody said anything’
Kearney said she was so shocked, she stopped still.
“I felt like I wanted the ground to swallow me up. The humiliation and embarrassment… but it wasn’t just about what he said. I felt so humiliated, I felt so stupid.”
She said she walked away “as quickly as possible”, went to the toilets and cried.
“The tears were about feeling humiliated, feeling small, feeling made to feel ‘less than’. I also went around that day hating what I was wearing because he’d already commented on my legs earlier that day.”
Kearney thought someone on the crew might speak to her afterwards.
“As I came out of the toilets, I thought maybe someone would come up to me and ask me, you know, ‘Are you okay?’ Nobody said anything.”
Read more:
What are the allegations – and what has Wallace said?
‘Middle-aged women’ comment – an epic failure in crisis management
Kirstie Allsopp is among the former Celebrity Masterchef contestants who have spoken out. Pic: Jonathan Brady/PA
She said there was “no way” other people did not hear Wallace’s “innuendos constantly throughout filming” and that it was put down to “lad culture” and “banter – but if it’s just banter and it’s fun, then why am I crying in the toilet?”
Kearney said she was “disappointed” by the crew, but also in herself for letting it affect her.
She believes Wallace “created an environment” in which his sexually inappropriate comments were “normalised in way that you would expect to see in a ’90s lads mag”.
While many people were aware of his alleged behaviour, it was “difficult” to speak out “about somebody who seems to be very popular… or about a show that is definitely very popular”, she said.
“That’s actually really difficult because you feel like you’re sticking your head above the parapet… people have got a lot to lose by speaking up. If you speak up against MasterChef, you’re going to be dropped by the brand. If you speak out against a popular male presenter, your reputation is the one that’s going to be dragged through the mud.”
Kearney’s claims come after another former contestant told Sky News the allegations that have emerged about Wallace are just the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to MasterChef – claiming he witnessed a “toxic environment” on set and that the problem was “larger” than just the presenter.
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Wallace apologises for ‘middle-aged women’ video
Former celebrity contestants including Kirsty Wark, Kirstie Allsopp and Emma Kennedy have also spoken out.
At the weekend, Wallace issued a defiant response, dismissing his accusers as “middle-class women of a certain age“. However, he has since apologised for his comments – which were described as “completely inappropriate and misogynistic” by a spokesperson for the prime minister.
In a video on Monday, Wallace said: “I want to apologise for any offence that I caused with my post yesterday and any upset I may have caused to a lot of people.
“I wasn’t in a good head space when I posted it, I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, I felt very alone, under siege yesterday when I posted it.
“It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out now while this investigation is under way. I hope you understand and I do hope you accept this apology.”
What have producers and the BBC said?
Wallace is being investigated by MasterChef’s production company Banijay UK.
“Banijay UK takes this matter incredibly seriously but while the external investigation is ongoing, we won’t be commenting on individual allegations,” a spokesperson for the company said.
“It is important to note, that MasterChef welfare processes are regularly adapted and strengthened and there are clear protocols to support both crew and contributors. These include multiple ways of reporting issues, including anonymously. HR contact details are promoted, and contributors are assigned a point of contact on set available to discuss any issues or concerns.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them. We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
“Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them.
“It would be inappropriate for us to comment on anything that could form part of Banijay’s ongoing investigation or otherwise influence it.”
Sky News has contacted representatives for Wallace for comment.
Jimmy Cliff, a musical artist who helped bring reggae to an international audience, has died aged 81.
Known for hits including You Can Get It If You Really Want, The Harder They Come, and Many Rivers To Cross, his career spanned six decades.
Cliff performing on the Pyramid Stage, at the Glastonbury Festival in 2003. Pic: PA
His wife, Latifa Chambers wrote on Instagram: “It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia.
“I am thankful for his family, friends, fellow artists and coworkers who have shared his journey with him.
“To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his whole career. He really appreciated each and every fan for their love.”
Thanking the medical staff who helped during his illness, she added: “Jimmy, my darling, may you rest in peace. I will follow your wishes.”
Signed by his wife, and two of his children, Latifa and Lilty, the statement concluded: “We see you Legend.”
Tributes to the singer included those from Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, calling him “a true cultural giant whose music carried the heart of our nation to the world… Jimmy Cliff told our story with honesty and soul. His music lifted people through hard times, inspired generations, and helped to shape the global respect that Jamaican culture enjoys today.”
UB40 star Ali Campbell, who covered Cliff’s song Many Rivers To Cross in 1983, also paid tribute, saying he was “absolutely heartbroken to hear about the passing of a Reggae forefather” in a post on X.
Campbell also called Cliff “a pillar of our music, and one of the first to carry reggae out into the world”.
Jimmy Cliff (L) stands with Wyclef Jean at his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2010. Pic: Reuters
A legend of music and screen
A two-time Grammy-winning artist, Cliff was awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit in 2003, the highest honour in the arts and sciences, from the Jamaican government.
Over the years, he would work with stars including the Rolling Stones, Sting, Elvis Costello, Annie Lennox, Paul Simon and Wyclef Jean.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.
A prolific writer, frequently expressing his humanitarian views through his work, his 1969 track Vietnam was reportedly described by Bob Dylan as “the best protest song” he had ever heard.
Cliff was also well known for cover versions of songs, including Johnny Nash’s I Can See Clearly Now, which appeared on the soundtrack of the 1993 movie Cool Runnings, and Cat Stevens’ Wild World.
He twice performed on high-profile US chat show Saturday Night Live.
An actor and a musician, as well as singing the title track of 1972 cult classic The Harder They Come, Cliff also starred in it.
One of the first major commercial releases to come out of Jamaica, the movie is credited with bringing reggae to the world, as well as showing a grittier and more realistic side to the country.
During this time, Cliff’s fame rivalled Bob Marley as the reggae’s most prominent artist.
The storyline, which revolved around Cliff’s character, Ivan, moving to Kingston, Jamaica, to make it as a musical superstar, had parallels with his own.
Cliff at the MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Awards at the London Arena in London’s Docklands in 2002. Pic: PA
‘Hurricane Hattie’
He was born James Chambers, during a hurricane, on 30 July 1944, in St James Parish, northwestern Jamaica.
In the 1950s, he moved with his father from the family farm to Kingston, determined to succeed in the music industry.
He began writing as Jamaica was gaining its independence from Britain, and as the early sounds of reggae – first called ska – were being developed.
At just 14, he became nationally famous for the song Hurricane Hattie, which he had written himself.
Cliff would go on to record over 30 albums and perform all over the world, including in Paris, in Brazil and at the World’s Fair, an international exhibition held in New York in 1964.
The following year, Island Records’ Chris Blackwell, the producer who launched Bob Marley And The Wailers, invited Cliff to work in the UK.
Jimmy Cliff during the Love Supreme Jazz Festival in 2019. Pic: Shutterstock
‘I still have many rivers to cross!’
Speaking about his burning passion for life during a 2019 interview, when the star had begun losing his sight, Cliff said: “When I’ve achieved all my ambitions, then I guess that I will have done it and I can just say ‘great’.
“But I’m still hungry. I want it. I’ve still got the burning fire that burns brightly inside of me – like I just said to you. I still have many rivers to cross!”
Cliff’s last studio album, Refugees, made with Wyclef Jean, was released in 2022, and the singer said he wrote the title track “due to emotional feelings towards freedom taken away from human beings”.
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