TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp has accused Gregg Wallace of making inappropriate comments when they worked together in the past.
This week, it was announced that the MasterChef star would be stepping away from the BBC show, while an investigation is conducted into historical misconduct allegations. According to NME, the allegations included a pattern of inappropriate sexual comments and actions made by Wallace to 13 people who worked with him over a period of 17 years.
Wallace's lawyers have said that suggestions of the presenter engaging in sexually harassing behaviour are false.
Related: MasterChef's Gregg Wallace addresses inappropriate behaviour claim from 2018
Meanwhile, Wallace took to his Instagram Stories today (December 1), where he claimed: "I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age. Just from Celebrity MasterChef."
Following his post, Allsopp shared her own experiences of working with Wallace, calling his behaviour "totally unprofessional".
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"Within 1hr of meeting Gregg Wallace he told me of a sex act that he & his partner at the time enjoyed "every morning", she'd just left the room, we were filming a pilot. Did he get off on how embarrassed I was? It was totally unprofessional, I'm a #MiddleClassWomanOfaCertainAge," she wrote on X/Twitter.
Related: MasterChef's Gregg Wallace responds to show exit rumours
In another post, Allsopp addressed why she didn't report the incident when it happened. "Why say nothing? Because you feel, in no particular order, embarrassed, a prude, shocked, waiting for a male colleague to call him out, not wanting to "rock the boat", thinking it's better to plough on with the day, assuming you misheard/misunderstood or just don't get the joke," she said.
After being asked about the timing of her comments, the star explained that she had chosen to speak out in support of the complainants.
"Because the women, who unlike me, were brave enough to complain about it, should be supported. And anyone who thinks it's OK needs to ask their wife if it's OK with her if they talk about their sex lives in the office tomorrow," she added.
Wallace has yet to respond to Allsopp's comments.
Divya is a freelance writer with experience in entertainment and lifestyle news. Described as a "telly addict" since childhood, Divya was able to translate her interests into a BJTC-accredited, Honours degree in Journalism and Media. After working in communications and marketing, Divya joined Digital Spy as a Freelance News Reporter. She has also written for various publications including Metro, Asian World News and TwitCelebGossip; as well as interviews, features and reviews on her own blog. Divya prides herself on her TV, film and showbiz knowledge, always offering (not so) fun facts to her long-suffering friends and family. From soaps to superheroes, Divya is the go-to person for tailored recommendations and up to date information.
