John Torode reveals why he and Gregg Wallace have ‘never been friends’ outside MasterChef

John Torode, the co-host of MasterChef, revealed that he and his fellow presenter Gregg Wallace have never been friends outside the show. Despite co-hosting the infamous BBC1 show together since 2005, Torode explained that he actively makes a point of avoiding Gregg Wallace behind the cameras.

Gregg Wallace is temporarily stepping down from hosting MasterChef due to an investigation into historical allegations of misconduct that date back to 2005. According to John, they both preferred to keep their distance, as The Mirror reported in 2017.

Allegedly, Gregg once walked naked into the studio with only a sock covering his privates, as well as other incidents. When John spoke to Bristol Live in 2017, he said that they have “never been friends.”

John Torode described Gregg Wallace as “so OCD”, saying that “it’s funny, we’ve never been friends. We’ve not been to each other’s houses… He’s so OCD, he wouldn’t know what to do. He’d build it up in his mind for three days, and probably make himself quite sick, then he’d have an argument with his wife and not turn up. If I went to his house, he would feel like he wasn’t in control.”

Torode currently hasn’t said anything about the investigation into the alleged misconduct since the full details were released.

Thirteen people, including ex-Newsnight host Kirsty Wark, have complained to the BBC about past allegations. Kirsty Wark, who is 69 and was a contestant on the sixth series of the Celebrity MasterChef spin-off in 2011, alleged that Wallace made inappropriate remarks and jokes on two occasions while contestants and staff were around.

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Wark said: “I think people were uncomfortable. We were essentially a captive audience. People looked embarrassed and just got on with their work. I was actually more angry than anything else because I thought it was so inappropriate.”

A spokesperson for the BBC stated: “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.”

The spokesperson continued: “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.”

Wallace has been quick to deny all allegations. His legal team stated that the allegations of him engaging in sexual harassment are “entirely false”. Banijay UK, the production company that created MasterChef, confirmed Wallace will be “stepping away” from the programme.