Gregg Wallace’s MasterChef replacement confirmed as I’m a Celeb star Grace Dent after he stepped back amid ‘grope’ probe
I'M A Celeb star Grace Dent will replace Gregg Wallace on BBC's Celebrity MasterChef amid "grope" probe.
The restaurant critic, 51, will judge the upcoming 20th series after Wallace was forced to step back amid allegations of misconduct.
Grace has appeared regularly as a guest on MasterChef, and last year was a contestant on MasterChef: Battle Of The Critics.
She said: "I've been watching MasterChef since I was a girl sitting with my dad on the sofa. My whole family watches it.
"It's all about uncovering and championing talent - and to have ended up in this position, is more than a dream to me.
"I'm so excited that I can't eat, which is severely detrimental to a restaurant critic.
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"I feel very lucky to be stepping in for the next Celebrity MasterChef.
"I can't wait to meet the fresh celebrity faces for 2025."
Meanwhile John Torode, who has presented MasterChef since 2005, said: "I have loved working with Grace on MasterChef over the years.
"She has been an excellent guest, an inspiring critic and also set some incredible challenges.
"Expertise is what MasterChef is all about, from the contestants to our wonderful production team, to us as judges.
"The love of food, the love of MasterChef, and that unquestionable expertise, makes Grace the perfect person to step in alongside me as judge for the forthcoming Celebrity MasterChef series."
Kalpna Patel-Knight, the BBC's head of entertainment, said: "Grace Dent is the perfect choice to step in for the next series of Celebrity MasterChef.
"Grace is not only an energetic and well-established member of the MasterChef team, but is also a world renowned food critic, so she will certainly keep the next batch of celebrities on their toes."
It comes after the show’s production firm Banijay UK launched a probe last month after several women complained the TV judge had groped or harassed them.
Despite strongly denying any wrongdoing Gregg, 60, is said to have resigned himself to getting the sack - as we revealed previously.
A TV source said: “Grace is the perfect choice to replace Gregg on Masterchef.
"She’s knowledgeable about food and opinionated, plus it’s great to have a woman as a judge on the show. It will shake things up and give the series the boost it needs after such an upsetting and uncertain time.
“She is already a fan favourite and has won lots of respect in the foodie world thanks to her no-nonsense style and sense of humour.
“Bosses love her already, know she is a safe pair of hands and trust her to help steer the ship with John to steadier waters.”
Gregg Wallace’s TV chef colleagues blast behaviour
By Summer Raemason
THE MasterChef host, 60, has been told to "shut up and listen" by fellow stars.
Wallace hit back on Instagram and claimed complaints against him have come from "middle class women of a certain age".
It comes as at least 13 people have officially complained about Wallace’s conduct while working with him over a 17-year period across five shows, from 2005 to 2022.
The presenter stepped away from MasterChef in light of the allegations.
Wallace has denied any behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Since uploading his bizarre rant on social media, TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall said: "I think the intervention is not wise. I don't know Gregg well, I've met him a couple of times.
"He's very likeable. He's a very professional screen presence.
"I have a very talented chef on MasterChef right at the moment, and she's doing incredibly well, and I've been really enjoying watching her and enjoying Gregg's presenting.
"I think it's likely that Gregg has what we might call a bawdy sense of humour. Clearly, that's offended people.
"I think one of the issues is that down the years people have not felt able to tell him when he might want to rein it in a bit, and clearly he's crossed some lines."
He continued: "In terms of how he's going about defending himself.
"I understand the instinct when you feel you're backed into a corner, but I don't think it's smart to come out talking like that when at the moment he should probably be listening more questions for the BBC."
Kirstie Allsopp
Location, Location, Location presenter Kirstie Allsopp also slammed Wallace in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, in which she relived a meeting with the grocer-turned-TV star
She said: "Within 1hr of meeting Gregg Wallace he told me of a sex act that he & his partner at the time enjoyed 'every morning', she’d just left the room, we were filming a pilot.
"Did he get off on how embarrassed I was? It was totally unprofessional, I’m a #MiddleClassWomanOfaCertainAge."
She added later on Radio 4 that his video rant about the complainants’ class was “unacceptable”.
Kirstie said: “I absolutely understand about banter. I’m a mother of sons - two stepsons, two sons. But there’s a huge difference between robust chat and the kind of comment Gregg Wallace made to me.”
Ulrika Jonsson
Talking to Times Radio, the Sun writer recalled the moment she was "absolutely horrified" after learning Wallace "had said this rape joke while judging another contestant's thing".
She added: "She was in welling up, tearing up. And there was a, you know, commotion for a while. And then the producers obviously went to speak to him.
"So everybody knows, and I think that's the guilty thing."
The former MasterChef contestant blasted the BBC and claimed they ";just wrote it off".
She added; "I don't think that is acceptable. It's just not."
Ulrika also said she was "flabbergasted, shocked and appalled" by Wallace's Instagram story defending himself.
"I never understand this with people in a position of power. And he is in a position of power. He's a celebrity, and he's a presenter," she said.
But the writer said he "refuses to let go" and reflect on his alleged behaviours.
"I don't think he's capable of changing, because I think that's the way he is," she continued.
JK Rowling
Harry Potter author JK Rowling posted: “If only his colleagues had all been young working-class women, ideally with little job security, none of this would have happened.”
Julia Hartley-Brewer
Talk host Julia Hartley-Brewer added: “Spare a thought for Gregg Wallace’s PR agent waking up this morning,’ with a meme of Chandler from Friends shouting, ‘What did you just do?’”
Aggie MacKenzie
TV presenter Aggie MacKenzie, 69, said that Wallace’s jokes were “always smutty, they were endless” when she competed on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011.
She added: “It was as if Gregg was some sort of dinosaur who just can’t read the room, and seemed to be allowed to carry on in this way.
"He has no insight or understanding of how he behaves.”
Alongside her successful journalism career as food critic Grace has been doing more mainstream TV, and starred on I’m A Celeb last year.
She walked from the jungle after nine days, citing “medical grounds.”
It comes after a string of celebrities, ex-MasterChef stars and production staff came forward with a litany of claims against Wallace.
These included allegations Wallace walked into the studio naked apart from a "sock over his penis", mimed a sex act as a worker knelt to clean his trousers, and made a "rape joke".
Wallace, under investigation by MasterChef producers Banijay UK, was scheduled to appear on the BBC several times this Christmas but these episodes have now been axed.
The host stepped down from the show after multiple complaints emerged.
He faces allegations from at least 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period — with others coming forward since the scandal broke.
At the start of this month, The Sun revealed how the BBC received complaints about Wallace’s behaviour from as early as 2014.
He was accused of making sexual remarks during his 2014 stint on Strictly Come Dancing when paired with pro Aliona Vilani.
The presenter has denied any behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
Wallace has been accused of taking his top off in front of a female worker, saying he wanted to “give her a fashion show”, and talking about his sex life to others.
Gregg Wallace admits ‘I’m f****d’
By Ellie Henman
MASTERCHEF star Gregg Wallace has told friends he expects to be sacked following an investigation into his alleged sexual harassment and groping.
Several women have come forward about his behaviour, prompting the review.
Wallace has stopped using his pricey legal team as he resigns himself to the MasterChef sack.
The under-fire presenter has also turned down crisis-publicity teams in the weeks after several women complained he groped or harassed them.
The BBC1 show’s production firm Banijay UK launched a probe last month and Wallace, 60, has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
But those close to him said he understood his position on MasterChef was no longer tenable.
A source said: “Gregg’s conceded he has lost everything. To put it bluntly, he’s told people, ‘I’m f***ed’.
“He came out swinging but he has quietly conceded that he knows his time on MasterChef is over and that he will be stepping aside.
“He has contested the sexual allegations and insisted any jokes he made were just jokes. He said he never meant to cause any offence.
“Gregg has been under a huge amount of pressure since the allegations came to light and tried his best to fight his corner.
“The BBC and Banijay UK have now spoken to a number of different individuals and they know they must be seen to take action.
“Gregg knows the time will come when he has to step aside and as much as that pains him, it seems he has come to terms with it."
A second source said: “MasterChef is a juggernaut of a show and the wheels don’t stop turning.
“Not long after the probe into Gregg’s conduct, casting started for the celebrity series.
“While the probe is ongoing, it has been made clear to production that John is going to be staying and that a female will step into Gregg’s role.”
He also allegedly told one female colleague he was not wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans.
MasterChef production company, Banijay UK, said law firm Lewis Silkin would lead the investigation into Wallace’s alleged misconduct.
The BBC said it would not be inappropriate to comment on anything that could form part of Banijay’s investigation.
It emerged Celebrity MasterChef 2012 winner Emma Kennedy said she reported Wallace’s behaviour to a member of the production team but did not know if it was taken any further.
Georgia Harding, a MasterChef producer from 2014-15, said she also raised concerns about his behaviour but nothing was done.
Then in 2017, radio broadcaster Aasmah Mir went on the celebrity version and sent an email to Kate Phillips, now head of unscripted TV for the BBC, about Wallace’s inappropriate comments.
And the following year, Wallace was reportedly issued with a formal warning by the BBC following an HR probe.
In 2022, director and producer Dawn Elrick said she sent a letter to the corporation with a number of anonymised accounts from people alleging Wallace acted inappropriately.
The Sun on Sunday also told how a Nestlé executive had written to the BBC with concerns about Wallace’s behaviour while filming a 2023 episode of Inside The Factory.
One witness claimed the former green grocer, 60, walked into the studio naked apart from a "sock over his penis" then did a dance.
They also said he mimed a sex act as a worker knelt to clean his trousers.
Since the latest allegations came to light, Wallace unfollowed John and his wife Lisa Faulkner on Instagram.
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At the time, pals told us Gregg was upset John did not publicly back him amid the scandal.
Banijay UK launched its inquiry and on November 28 confirmed to The Sun that Wallace was stepping away pending the review.