Kerry Katona has weighed in on the controversy surrounding John Torode's departure from MasterChef, saying that it is 'too easy' for public figures to be cancelled. The former Atomic Kitten singer, 44, admitted she was surprised to see the veteran judge removed from the BBC programme following an upheld allegation of using racist language.
Torode, 59, was sacked after an independent investigation by law firm Lewis Silkin substantiated a claim that he used an 'extremely offensive racist term' in the workplace. He was previously identified as the unnamed person mentioned in the report, which was commissioned by production company Banijay in connection with the behaviour of his co-star Gregg Wallace.
Writing in her OK! Magazine column, Kerry said: 'There’s been drama unfolding around MasterChef, after claims against Gregg Wallace were investigated by the BBC. But I was surprised to see his co-host John Torode also involved. An allegation against John for using “an extremely offensive racist term” was upheld, but it’s hard to pass judgment without knowing the details.' She insisted she does not condone racism in any form but added that cancellation can happen too easily.
The upheld allegation relates to an incident in 2018, when Torode is said to have used the racial slur on set after filming had ended, directed at a member of staff. BBC News reported that this was not the same incident as the one previously reported by The Sun, which claimed he repeated lyrics from Kanye West's song Gold Digger at a social gathering in 2019. In total, Torode was subject to nine complaints, of which one was upheld and eight were rejected.
In a statement, Torode denied the allegation, saying: 'I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe it happened.' He added that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment. The BBC has confirmed his departure from the long-running show after 20 years.
