Penny Lancaster was booted out of the Celebrity MasterChef kitchen in 2021 (Image: BBC)
Model Penny Lancaster is ready to take her concerns to ‘authorities’ following scrapped footage on Celebrity MasterChef with Gregg Wallace.
The culinary expert, Gregg Wallace, aged 60, has retreated from his near two-decade stint as a Masterchef host amidst rising claims of past misconduct.
Accusers now stepping forward include the likes of Ulrika Jonsson, rock legend Rod Stewart, Charlotte Crosby, and Penny herself.
A spate of complaints have surfaced against the television host from those alleging prior working relationships with him. The MasterChef frontman faces accusations of making sexually inappropriate remarks.
Wallace fervently refutes the allegations concerning improper sexual comments attributed to him.
These developments emerge as the BBC initiates a probe into the allegations of misconduct. Wallace, known for steering the popular cooking competition, maintains his innocence regarding the purported sexually charged commentary, reports the Mirror.
READ MORE: Gregg Wallace posts letter of support from pal who brands him ‘top bloke’ [LATEST]
Wallace has stepped away from MasterChef (Image: BBC/Shine TV)
In light of these events, Sir Rod Stewart scornfully branded Wallace as a “tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully.”
His scathing remark read: “So Greg Wallace gets fired from Masterchef. Good riddance Wallace…You humiliated my wife when she was on the show but you had that bit cut out didn’t you? You’re a tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully. Karma got ya. Sir Rod Stewart.”
A throwback clip of Rod Stewart’s wife and Loose Women star, Penny Lancaster, on a cooking show has resurfaced, showing her embarrassment over her fried calamari and tartare sauce. As she prepared her dish, Penny confidently stated: “I’m doing surprisingly well compared to what I imagined how I’d be doing. I don’t want to slip up now.”
However, things took a turn for the worse when it came to tasting her dish. Upon serving, Penny noted: “That tartare sauce doesn’t look like the tartare sauce I’d normally have.”
Gregg Wallace informed her: “You used whole eggs instead of egg yolks.”
Penny showed her embarrassment over her fried calamari (Image: BBC)
Judge John Torode added: “What I’ve got in here is a raw egg/oil milkshake. Unfortunately, I can’t eat that.”
Later in the episode, Penny managed to bounce back from her earlier mishap, earning praise for her chicken and coconut curry, green papaya chutney, grated apple, turnip and carrot salad, as well as the coconut rice.
Gregg complimented her by saying: “I found myself going from bowl to bowl to bowl and finding it difficult to stop, you have had what we call in the industry a very good day.”
However, the kitchen chaos returned in the episode where she was eliminated. Penny struggled with her timings, prompting Gregg to comment: “Mate, we can’t be 10 minutes late.”
He labelled her delay as ‘serious’, leading to an emotional moment for Penny.
Penny’s spokesperson has confirmed she is prepared to cooperate with the authorities, as per a statement made to Mail Online: “While Penny is happy to talk to the appropriate authorities should they feel she has anything useful to add, she will not be discussing the matter with any broadcaster or newspaper at this time.”
Fans of Gregg Wallace were quick to rally around him after he shared his gratitude in a heartfelt Instagram video on Thursday evening: “I would like to thank all the people for getting in touch, reaching out, and sharing their support. That’s good of you. Thank you very much,” he expressed.
Monica Galetti, prominent judge on MasterChef: The Professionals and acclaimed New Zealand chef, showed her solidarity with her fellow chef online by liking Wallaces Instagram post amidst supportive gestures from fans on Thursday night.
In light of recent events, Gregg has pledged his full cooperation during the BBC‘s inquiry, as per a statement from Banijay UK to the PA news agency.
The company stated: “This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows. Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate.”
Penny was left in tears on the show (Image: BBC)
The statement further detailed: “While this review is underway, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully cooperating throughout the process. Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.”
It added: “Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.”
Following the announcement that Wallace would temporarily leave MasterChef amid the probe, the BBC has expressed its stance on taking any issues brought to its notice “seriously”.
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. 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.”