Gregg Wallace has openly admitted to his past run-ins with the law as a self-proclaimed football “hooligan” in his younger days. The MasterChef star, who recently stepped back from the BBC programme amidst an ongoing probe into past claims of misconduct, reminisced about his South London football club’s “fierce reputation” and frequent encounters with the police.
Speaking to Zoo magazine back in 2008, the 60 year old shared: “I was brought up in Peckham and went to Millwall regularly. Some of my friends from school grew up to be hooligans. Millwall had a fierce reputation at the time, which was well deserved. They had a large percentage of people that were able to cause havoc! I got arrested for assault when I was 20… But my Millwall days are long behind me.
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“I was a product of my area. Police were making hundreds of arrests at every home game back then. Getting nicked was like a social pastime,” reports the Express.
Despite leaving his “hooligan” days in the past, Gregg’s love for the team remains, evidenced by the large tattoo of the lion from the club’s crest on his chest. This revelation comes amid allegations against the 60 year old of making inappropriate sexual comments, with complaints from 13 individuals spanning various shows over 17 years.
Among those raising concerns is former Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, who claimed he made jokes of a “sexualised nature” during her stint on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011, leaving her feeling they were “really, really in the wrong place”.
BBC News has been informed of further claims against the presenter, including him “talking openly about his sex life, taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to ‘give her a fashion show’, and telling a junior female colleague he was not wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans”.
The celebrity’s legal team insists that “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”, as reported by BBC News. Earlier on Thursday, it was disclosed that Gregg will be actively participating in an external investigation conducted by MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK.
A statement released stated: “This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows.
“Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate.
“In light of this review, Gregg Wallace will be temporarily stepping down from his presenting duties on MasterChef and is committed to fully co-operating throughout the process. Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.
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“Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.”
The statement added: “If anyone would like to talk to us or raise any issues or concerns, then they can contact speakupbanijayuk.com in confidence.”
A BBC spokesperson remarked: “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.”
Despite the ongoing situation, recorded episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals featuring Gregg will still be broadcast as scheduled, with the next instalment set to air on next week.
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