Gregg Wallace would have 'possibly hit the bottle' if he did not look after himself during MasterChef scandal
Gregg Wallace said he may have "possibly hit the bottle" if he did not get fit during the MasterChef scandal.
Gregg Wallace thinks he would have "possibly hit the bottle" if he had not looked after himself amid his MasterChef scandal.
The former host of the BBC One cookery show was sacked by the BBC on July 14 - the day a report by the independent law firm Lewis Silkin, on behalf of MasterChef's production company Banijay UK, into Gregg's alleged inappropriate behaviour, substantiated 45 out of 83 allegations, including claims of inappropriate sexual language, humour, and one alleged incident of "unwelcome physical contact" by Gregg, 60.
After the corporation said it had "no plans to work" with the star again, Gregg insisted to The Sun newspaper on July 25 that he is “not a groper, a sex pest or a flasher”.
During the scandal, Gregg decided to "exercise better" and get "better nutrition", and he thinks this has helped him survive the ordeal.
Speaking in a video of him in Canary Wharf, London, which he posted to his Instagram account on Tuesday (29.07.25), Gregg admitted: "Good morning. It's almost 6am. Sun's coming up over Canary Wharf. My mate Danny, he's got fitness studios down here, so I've come down here to train with him.
"Look, it's been a difficult few months, and I made a decision when all this started to really try and look after myself physically.
"So, I exercise better than I ever did before. I got better nutrition than I ever did before, and I don't know what I would have done without that. Possibly hit the bottle. I don't know. But here I am in probably the best physical condition I've ever been."
In his first interview since the release of the Lewis Silkin report into his alleged inappropriate behaviour, Gregg told The Sun newspaper that his actions had been "perceived incorrectly".
He said: "I’m not saying I’m not guilty of stuff, but so much has been perceived incorrectly. Things that really hurt me and hurt my family.
"People think I’ve been taking my trousers down and exposing myself – I’m not a flasher.
"People think I’m a sex pest. I am not. I am not sexist or a misogynist or any of it. There never were any allegations of sexual harassment.”
The Lewis Silkin report also upheld an allegation of an "extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace", with Gregg's former MasterChef co-star John Torode, 60, later identifying himself as the individual alleged to have used racist language in 2018 or 2019, "for the sake of transparency" in an Instagram post.
On July 15, the corporation announced that John's contract would not be renewed.
John denied using a racist word and said he has "no recollection" of using racist language.
Gregg told The Sun: "He’s not a racist."
The BBC recently confirmed it will be airing the last series of the crisis-hit MasterChef that was presented by Gregg and John - and was filmed in 2024 - following "careful consideration and consultation with the contestants".
To respect the cooks who gave "so much to the process", it will broadcast from August 6 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
