A former MasterChef contestant claims Gregg Wallace asked her to tell a colleague at the BBC that she was a ‘sexy b****’ and said he told a fellow contestant she was ‘handling fish like a rapist’.
Scottish broadcaster Aasmah Mir took to social media to make the bombshell claims which detailed her uncomfortable encounter with Wallace during her stint on the show in 2017.
It comes after a ‘sexual comments’ probe saw the MasterChef host step away from presenting on Thursday.
Posting on X the Times Radio host said: ‘In 2017 I took part in Celebrity MasterChef. I put my first dish down in front of the judges and the cameras paused to reset.
‘In front of everyone, Gregg Wallace told me to tell a colleague at the BBC “that she was a sexy b****.”
‘No-one said anything. And yes I did complain.’
She added: ‘I left the competition first. But two female contestants including Ulrika Jonsson told me afterwards that he had told another contestant that the way she was handling fish “looked like a rapist doing foreplay”.’
Ms Mir also posted a cryptic post of herself standing in an apron next to the iconic MasterChef logo while she was on the show.
The picture was captioned: ‘ Always keep your receipts.’
Thirteen people, including Kirsty Wark, have complained about Wallace’s conduct while working with him over a 17-year period across five shows, from 2005 to 2022.
This morning the disgraced MasterChef star lashed out at ‘middle-class women of a certain age’ in a rant online after he was accused of sexist behaviour.
Wearing a Matt Hampson Foundation t-shirt as he filmed himself for his Instagram story Wallace said he has worked with people of ‘all different ages, all different backgrounds and all different walks of life’.
Speaking about the complaints against him, he said they are ‘coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age’ and declared ‘this isn’t right’.
He went on to ask: ‘Can you imagine how many women on MasterChef have made sexual remarks or sexual innuendo?’
Last night it emerged that the BBC was reportedly warned about the 60-year-old’s alarming behaviour in 2008 but ‘nothing was done’.
Former contestant Dr Kate Tomas, 42, said she complained about Wallace’s treatment of her on the show 16 years ago, claiming he ‘sexually harassed’ and ‘bullied’ her.
Dr Tomas, a spiritual mentor to the stars, slammed him as ‘disgusting and repulsive’.
Wallace, 60, has also been accused of taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to ‘give her a fashion show’, and talking about his sex life to others.
Other allegations include telling another young colleague he wasn’t wearing any pants.
Recorded episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals featuring Gregg will still be shown as planned despite the development.
The company said: ‘While this review is underway, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully cooperating 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.
‘Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.’
Ms Walk claimed that on two occasions Wallace told stories and jokes of a ‘sexualised nature’ in front of contestants and crew while filming Celebrity MasterChef in 2011. She said his gags and comments were ‘really, really in the wrong place’.
‘There were two occasions in particular where he used sexualised language in front of a number of people and it wasn’t as if anyone engaged with this. It was completely one-way traffic.
‘But I think people were uncomfortable and something that I really did not expect to happen’, she said.
The BBC claims that Wallace walked away from MasterChef today after BBC News sent a letter to his agent on Tuesday, setting out allegations from 13 people and giving him a right of reply.
They say he was warned after a complaint was raised in 2018, but new historical claims emerged over the summer of 2024.
Wallace is ‘committed to fully cooperating throughout the process’, the show’s production company Banijay UK said.
Aasmah Mir has been contacted for comment.