S Poddar
MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has denied recent allegations of making inappropriate sexual comments towards a female colleague. According to reports by The Sun, Wallace is accused of such comments during his stay at the Impossible Celebrities show in 2018. Wallace affirms that the allegations are unfounded and were thrown away after investigation.
Wallace posted a message on Instagram saying: “What happened six years ago at the BBC is totally irrelevant now. It was fully investigated at the time. It was so long ago that they could have said whatever they like and not be sued. The facts were quite clear: he had not made one sexual remark. He repeated his own positions clearly, saying that he had always been truthful to his wife, Anna, whom he had been married to for twelve years.
In response to this, the BBC said that, by policy, the corporation does not and will not tolerate inappropriate behavior such as this and added that any such allegations are immediately addressed. The corporation did not comment on specific individuals, but assured that robust processes are in place to handle such matters.
It is a bad time for the BBC after these allegations begin to surface against Wallace. Indeed, the year started in tremendous turmoil as the corporation convicted Huw Edwards over the charges of possessing child sex abuse images and dismissed Jermaine Jenas after complaints of improper workplace conduct.
It appears that Wallace’s denial has already had a discussion in public on this issue: how serious such accusations are and how vital it is to accord due process. When and if the investigation of the matter is concluded, the public will then anxiously await the outcome.
