Gregg Wallace’s past as a ‘football hooligan’ has emerged as the MasterChef host comes under-fire for sexism.
The TV star has been suspended by the BBC after a number of women made claims against him over his sexually inappropriate behaviour.
Wallace is facing a number of claims including making ‘inappropriate sexual jokes’, asking for the phone numbers of female members of staff and allegedly walking naked onto a set with only a sock on his penis.
The 60-year-old has fiercely denied allegations, which span a 17-year period, and hit out at ‘middle class women of a certain age’ making the complaints – which has been slammed as ‘thinly veiled misogyny.’
Wallace has this afternoon apologised for ‘any offence caused’ in his post yesterday, saying he wasn’t in ‘a good headspace’ when he shared the video.
The under-fire presenter said: ‘I want to apologise for any offence that I caused with my post yesterday and any upset I have caused to a lot of people.
‘I wasn’t in a good headspace when I posted it. I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion.
‘I felt very alone [and] under siege yesterday when I posted it. It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out now while this investigation is underway.
‘I hope you understand and I do hope that you can accept my apology.’
Amid the flurry of allegations, it has now re-emerged that Milwall fan Mr Wallace was arrested for assault in his younger days and described himself as a ‘hooligan’.
The grocer turned presenter, from Peckham, South London, told Zoo Magazine in 2008, that he had a ‘fierce reputation at the time’ and a ‘large percentage of people that were able to cause havoc’, including himself.
Wallace’s lawyers say ‘it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature’.
‘I got arrested for assault when I was 20,’ he said. ‘But my Millwall days are long behind me.
‘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.’
He went on to further insist his football hooligan days were a thing of the past following the death of his second wife Denise.
Wallace told The Times: ‘They think I’m a Millwall football hooligan and a womaniser, but I’m not. I like reading history books with a glass of fine wine. And family. Like I say, I love family life.’
Despite this, a large tattoo of the lion from the club’s crest remains across his chest.
There are 13 people, including Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, who have formally complained about Wallace’s behaviour over a 17-year period across five shows, from 2005 to 2022.
His lawyers say ‘it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature’.
But in another setback for Wallace and MasterChef bosses, a former contestant shared their experience on the show, telling Sky News: ‘I was horrified. I’d never seen anything like it, genuinely, I was really quite shocked at that really toxic environment.
‘What I witnessed… as a contestant was that there was a systemic problem that was larger than just him, in my view.
‘Gregg… would occasionally crack jokes that in different ways felt inappropriate but he wasn’t the only one.’
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.’
Banijay UK, the show’s production company, said the complaints were made to the BBC this week by ‘individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with Gregg Wallace on one of our shows’.
The company said Wallace was ‘committed to fully co-operating throughout the process’.
‘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,’ the company said.
‘While this review is under way, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role 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.
‘Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.’