Gregg Wallace has reportedly claimed he suffered a suspected heart attack just days before the release of a report into historical allegations of inappropriate behaviour. The 60-year-old former MasterChef presenter was taken to a hospital in Kent after experiencing chest pains, a source told The Sun. He reportedly said: 'The stress of this betrayal brought on my suspected heart attack. It’s been hell.'
Wallace was dismissed from the BBC cooking show last year following an investigation by Banijay, MasterChef’s production company, into a string of accusations spanning 17 years. The allegations include lewd comments, groping, and inappropriate sexual jokes, all of which he has denied. He has accused the BBC of 'peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip' and claimed the report cleared him of 'the most serious and sensational accusations'.
In a statement on Instagram, Wallace acknowledged that some of his language was inappropriate but insisted he was never the 'caricature' portrayed in the media. He said: 'I recognise some of my humour and language, at times was inappropriate. For that, I apologise without reservation. But I was never the caricature now sold for clicks.' He also said he needed 'space to heal' and would not be 'joining in' with the noise.
The report from the independent law firm reportedly found Wallace 'primarily guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018'. A source close to Wallace said he is 'both furious and devastated about how things have played out'. No replacement has been announced for his role on MasterChef, though reports suggest Saturday Kitchen host Matt Tebbutt may take over.
