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
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.
She said: “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’.”
Gregg Wallace’s lawyers say ‘it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature’. Pic: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
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 that 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.”
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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”.
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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.”
TV chef Tom Kerridge has also commented on the allegations, telling Sky News’s Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge that he has known Wallace to always be “full of jokes”.
He said: “He’s always full of charisma. And that front of camera charisma is always something that continues into off-screen as well.”
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.
UK
Teenager living in ‘continuous pain’ after surgeon Dr Yaser Jabbar carried out ‘inappropriate’ operations
A 15-year-old boy who was operated on twice by a now unlicensed Great Ormond Street surgeon is living with “continuous” pain.
Finias Sandu has been told by an independent review the procedures he underwent on both his legs were “unacceptable” and “inappropriate” for his age.
The teenager from Essex was born with a condition that causes curved bones in his legs.
Aged seven, a reconstructive procedure was carried out on Finias’s left leg, lengthening the limb by 3.5cm.
A few years later, the same operation was carried out on his right leg which involved wearing an invasive and heavy metal frame for months.
He has now been told by independent experts these procedures should not have taken place and concerns have been raised over a lack of imaging being taken prior to the operations.
Yaser Jabbar rescinded his UK medical licence last year. Pic: LinkedIn
His doctor at London’s prestigious Great Ormond Street Hospital was former consultant orthopaedic surgeon Yaser Jabbar. Sky News has spoken to others he treated.
Mr Jabbar also did not arrange for updated scans or for relevant X-rays to be conducted ahead of the procedures.
The surgeries have been found to have caused Finias “harm” and left him in constant pain.
“The pain is there every day, every day I’m continuously in pain,” he told Sky News.
“It’s not something really sharp, although it does get to a certain point where it hurts quite a lot, but it’s always there. It just doesn’t leave, it’s a companion to me, just always there.”
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Finias’s surgery pictures
Care of over 700 patients being assessed
Mr Jabbar rescinded his UK medical licence in January last year after working at Great Ormond Street between 2017 and 2022.
The care of his 700-plus patients is being assessed, with some facing corrective surgery, among them Finias.
“Trusting somebody is hard to do, knowing what they have done to me physically and emotionally, you know, it’s just too much to comprehend for me,” he said.
“It wasn’t something just physically, like my leg pain and everything else. It was emotionally, because I put my trust in that specific doctor. My parents and I don’t really understand the more scientific terms, we just went by what he said.”
Doctors refused to treat Finias because of his surgeries
Finias and his family relocated to their native Romania soon after the reconstructive frame was removed from his right leg in the summer of 2021.
The pain worsened and they sought advice from doctors in Romania, who refused to treat Finias because of the impact of his surgeries.
Dozens of families seeking legal claims
His mother Cornelia Sandu is “furious” and feels her trust in the hospital has been shattered. They are now among dozens of families seeking legal claims.
Cyrus Plaza from Hudgell Solicitors is representing the family. He said: “In cases where it has been identified that harm was caused, we want to see Great Ormond Street Hospital agreeing to pay interim payments of compensation for the children, so that if they need therapy or treatment now, they can access it.”
Finias is accessing therapy and mental health support as he prepares for corrective surgery later in the year.
A spokesperson for Great Ormond Street Hospital told Sky News: “We are deeply sorry to Finias and his family, and all the patients and families who have been impacted.
“We want every patient and family who comes to our hospital to feel safe and cared for. We will always discuss concerns families may have and, where they submit claims, we will work to ensure the legal process can be resolved as quickly as possible.”
Finias with his mother and sister
Service not ‘safe for patients’
Sky News has attempted to contact Mr Jabbar.
An external review into the wider orthopaedic department at the hospital began in September 2022.
It was commissioned after the Royal College of Surgeons warned the hospital’s lower limb reconstruction service was not “safe for patients or adequate to meet demand”.
The investigation is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Sir Keir Starmer has said closer ties with the EU will be good for the UK’s jobs, bills and borders ahead of a summit where he could announce a deal with the bloc.
The government is set to host EU leaders in London on Monday as part of its efforts to “reset” relations post-Brexit.
A deal granting the UK access to a major EU defence fund could be on the table, according to reports – but disagreements over a youth mobility scheme and fishing rights could prove to be a stumbling block.
The prime minister has appeared to signal a youth mobility deal could be possible, telling The Times that while freedom of movement is a “red line”, youth mobility does not come under this.
His comment comes after Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, said on Friday work on a defence deal was progressing but “we’re not there yet”.
Sir Keir met European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen later that day while at a summit in Albania.
Ursula von der Leyen and Sir Keir had a brief meeting earlier this week. Pic: PA
If agreed, the deal will be the third in two weeks, following trade agreements with India and the US.
Sir Keir said: “First India, then the United States – in the last two weeks alone that’s jobs saved, faster growth and wages rising.
“More money in the pockets of British working people, achieved through striking deals not striking poses.
“Tomorrow, we take another step forward, with yet more benefits for the United Kingdom as the result of a strengthened partnership with the European Union.”
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Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said she is “worried” about what the PM might have negotiated.
Ms Badenoch – who has promised to rip up the deal with the EU if it breaches her red lines on Brexit – said: “Labour should have used this review of our EU trade deal to secure new wins for Britain, such as an EU-wide agreement on Brits using e-gates on the continent.
“Instead, it sounds like we’re giving away our fishing quotas, becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again and getting free movement by the back door. This isn’t a reset, it’s a surrender.”
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