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.”
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”.
👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈
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.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
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.
The dates for Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK have been announced, with the US president due to be welcomed by the King from 17 to 19 September.
Buckingham Palace also confirmed that President Trump and first lady Melania will be hosted by the King and Queen at Windsor Castle.
It was expected that the three-day state visit would take place in September after Mr Trump let slip earlier in April that he believed that was when his second “fest” was being planned for.
Windsor was also anticipated to be the location after the US president told reporters in the Oval Office that the letter from the King said Windsor would be the setting. Refurbishment works at Buckingham Palace also meant that Windsor was used last week for French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit.
This will be Mr Trump’s second state visit to the UK, an unprecedented gesture towards an American leader, having previously been invited to Buckingham Palace in 2019.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump posing with Charles and Camilla in 2019. Pic: Reuters
He has also been to Windsor Castle before, in 2018, but despite the considerable military pageantry of the day, and some confusion around inspecting the guard, it was simply for tea with Queen Elizabeth II.
Further details of what will happen during the three-day visit in September will be announced in due course.
On Friday, Sky News revealed it is now unlikely that the US president will address parliament, usually an honour given to visiting heads of state as part of their visit. Some MPs had raised significant concerns about him being given the privilege.
But the House of Commons will not be sitting at the time of Mr Trump’s visit as it will rise for party conference season on the 16 September, meaning the president will not be able to speak in parliament as President Macron did during his state visit this week. However, the House of Lords will be sitting.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Labour MP: ‘Trump isn’t welcome here’
In February this year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer presented the US president with the letter from the King inviting him to visit during a meeting at the White House.
After reading it, Mr Trump said it was a “great, great honour”, adding “and that says at Windsor – that’s really something”.
In February, Sir Keir Starmer revealed a letter from the King inviting Donald Trump to the UK. Pic: Reuters
In the letter, the King suggested they might meet at Balmoral or Dumfries House in Scotland first before the much grander state visit. However, it is understood that, although all options were explored, complexities in both the King and Mr Trump’s diaries meant it wasn’t possible.
Read more from Sky News:
Is the UK ready for a ‘Trump-fest’?
Elton and Jagger at royal banquet
King and Trump won’t hold private meeting
This week, it emerged that Police Scotland are planning for a summer visit from the US president, which is likely to see him visit one or both of his golf clubs in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire, and require substantial policing resources and probably units to be called in from elsewhere in the UK.
Precedent for second-term US presidents, who have already made a state visit, is usually tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle, as was the case for George W Bush and Barack Obama.
A small plane has crashed at Southend Airport in Essex.
Essex Police said it was at the scene of a “serious incident”.
Images posted online showed huge flames and a large cloud of black smoke, with one witness saying they saw a “fireball”.
A police statement said: “We were alerted shortly before 4pm to reports of a collision involving one 12-metre plane.
“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours.
“We would please ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues.”
A huge fireball near the airport. Pic: Ben G
It has been reported that the plane involved in the incident is a Beech B200 Super King Air.
According to flight-tracking service Flightradar, it took off at 3.48pm and was bound for Lelystad, a city in the Netherlands.
One man, who was at Southend Airport with his family around the time of the incident, said the aircraft “crashed headfirst into the ground”.
John Johnson said: “About three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed.
“There was a big fireball. Obviously, everybody was in shock in terms of witnessing it. All the kids saw it and the families saw it.”
Mr Johnson added that he phoned 999 to report the crash.
Southend Airport said the incident involved “a general aviation aircraft”.
Four flights scheduled to take off from Southend this afternoon were cancelled, according to its website.
Flightradar data shows two planes that had been due to land at Southend were diverted to nearby airports London Gatwick and London Stansted.
Plumes of black smoke. Pic: UKNIP
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said four crews, along with off-road vehicles, have attended the scene.
Four ambulances and four hazardous area response team vehicles are also at the airport, as well as an air ambulance, the East of England Ambulance Service said.
Its statement described the incident as “still developing”.
Fire engines at the airport
David Burton-Sampson, the MP for Southend West and Leigh, posted on social media: “I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport. Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work.
“My thoughts are with everyone involved.”
Local councillor Matt Dent said on X: “At present all I know is that a small plane has crashed at the airport. My thoughts are with all those involved, and with the emergency services currently responding to the incident.”
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the latest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
UK
Heidi Alexander says ‘fairness’ will be government’s ‘guiding principle’ when it comes to taxes at next budget
Another hint that tax rises are coming in this autumn’s budget has been given by a senior minister.
Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was asked if Sir Keir Starmer and the rest of the cabinet had discussed hiking taxes in the wake of the government’s failed welfare reforms, which were shot down by their own MPs.
Trevor Phillips asked specifically if tax rises were discussed among the cabinet last week – including on an away day on Friday.
Politics Hub: Catch up on the latest
Tax increases were not discussed “directly”, Ms Alexander said, but ministers were “cognisant” of the challenges facing them.
Asked what this means, Ms Alexander added: “I think your viewers would be surprised if we didn’t recognise that at the budget, the chancellor will need to look at the OBR forecast that is given to her and will make decisions in line with the fiscal rules that she has set out.
“We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that.”
Ms Alexander said she wouldn’t comment directly on taxes and the budget at this point, adding: “So, the chancellor will set her budget. I’m not going to sit in a TV studio today and speculate on what the contents of that budget might be.
“When it comes to taxation, fairness is going to be our guiding principle.”
Read more:
Reeves won’t rule out tax rises
What is a wealth tax and how would it work?
👉Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne’s on your podcast app👈      
Afterwards, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Phillips: “That sounds to me like a barely disguised reference to tax rises coming in the autumn.”
He then went on to repeat the Conservative attack lines that Labour are “crashing the economy”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Chris Philp also criticsed the government’s migration deal with France
Mr Philp then attacked the prime minister as “weak” for being unable to get his welfare reforms through the Commons.
Discussions about potential tax rises have come to the fore after the government had to gut its welfare reforms.
Sir Keir had wanted to change Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but a large Labour rebellion forced him to axe the changes.
With the savings from these proposed changes – around £5bn – already worked into the government’s sums, they will now need to find the money somewhere else.
The general belief is that this will take the form of tax rises, rather than spending cuts, with more money needed for military spending commitments, as well as other areas of priority for the government, such as the NHS.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike