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John Torode reportedly raised concerns about his MasterChef co-host Gregg Wallace on numerous occasions after he became unhappy with the language used on-set.
According to a new report, John, 59, “did not condone” Gregg’s alleged behaviour and spoke to officials at production company Banijay UK.
A source claimed to The Sun: “He repeatedly flagged his behaviour and poor-taste remarks to execs on set and made clear he wasn’t happy. It was never a formal complaint, rather a series of spoken concerns raised.
“He does not know whether any formal record was ever made but the sense he got was that bosses needed to protect the MasterChef brand at all costs and that meant turning a blind eye.”
Last week, Banijay UK announced that Gregg would be “stepping away” from MasterChef while it conducted an investigation following complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct.
The production company said Wallace is “committed to fully cooperating throughout the process”.
On Tuesday night, Wallace, 60, faced fresh allegations with BBC News reporting that one woman said he touched her bottom after an event, and another said he pressed his crotch against her while filming on a different show.
The new allegations came after the outlet reported claims from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, with many others since sharing their experiences.
His lawyers have previously strongly denied “he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”.
A BBC spokesperson previously said the corporation takes any issues that are raised with it “seriously” and is clear that “any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated”.
John Torode said he “will continue to be a part of” MasterChef and added that he found the recent reports about Gregg “truly upsetting”.
He said on Instagram: “Since last Friday I have been away filming MasterChef overseas. I love my job, and I love MasterChef. I love being part of it and will continue to be part of it.
“During the last few days, I’ve been trying to make the best cookery programme, so being busy making the show and caring for our contestants has allowed me little time to think about anything else, but that has been hard.”
“But as I hope everyone appreciates there is an investigation underway, which I fully support, so I cannot make any further comment at this stage and I hope that you all understand and respect my silence on the matter moving forward.”
John Torode’s representatives have been contacted for comment.
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