Gregg Wallace urges others to speak out after being abused as a child
MasterChef star Gregg Wallace has bravely opened up about being abused as an eight-year-old boy as he urged others affected to speak out.
The much-loved TV star spoke about the abuse he suffered growing up in south London, in the Mirror's Men in Mind podcast, in association with Mind. In a wide-ranging interview, he told host Tom Bryant how he was sexually assaulted by a babysitter’s husband.
Gregg says: “I didn’t tell anybody at the time, but I did tell my mum when I was older, but she didn’t really seem to want to know." He still vividly remembers the abuse all these years later. Gregg adds: “I can see me as a young boy and I can see him and I can smell him. It wasn’t nice.
“I don’t know how that affected me. I’ve never brought that up in therapy, so I’ve got no idea. But he would touch me and get me to touch him and kiss me as well. It was quite a horrendous situation for a young boy.”
Gregg says speaking out about his experience all those years ago is an opportunity to help others. He says: “If by chance a young person is listening to this, it’s not your fault. Please, just get out there and tell somebody.”
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The MasterChef star opened up to the Mirror's Tom Bryant (Tim Merry/Daily Mirror)The former Peckham greengrocer agreed to speak to the podcast to show men they’re not alone if they’re struggling with their mental health. Gregg, 58, says: “We have gone well past the stage where there’s any stigma about talking about these things. If you are suffering at all, go and get help."
Mind’s research shows one in five people have spoken to a loved one about their own mental health as a result of hearing a celebrity speak out about theirs. And during Tom's hour-long chat, Gregg was true to his word, showing admirable honesty as he opened up about subjects deeply personal to him.
The first being how anxiety had been a constant in his life for years, but something he now manages through therapy and self-care, including exercise, eating well and cutting down on booze. But nine years ago, it wasn’t such smooth sailing. An appearance on Strictly Come Dancing with professional partner Aliona Vilani led to his anxiety levels soaring.
Gregg says: “I was having a really tough time. I was really, really stressed… so badly that the side of my face broke out into a rash, like cold sores.” It got to the point where he couldn’t take to the stage. And Strictly bosses were so worried about him they recommended he speak to a therapist.
Gregg recalls: “I was due to do the dance that night. I called her up and said, ‘Are you free? Can you come and help me?’ She jumped in the car, came into my dressing room and had me in floods of tears. But I went out and danced.” He maintained that relationship with the same therapist – and credits her for helping to unpick what he calls his “low self-esteem”, and “self-doubt” issues.
Gregg thinks a lot of this stems from growing up with no money in a council terrace, leaving home with no qualifications and desperately struggling to get by as he worked day and night. Washing machine repairs, cleaning, factory work, he tried his hand at everything, but money was little to non-existent. Even as his career took off after landing a greengrocer job in Covent Garden market, he was petrified it would all come crashing down.
Gregg explains: “I felt keenly that I had no money when I was a young person, and that really scares me. And even when I was doing really well, I wasn’t getting less scared. In fact, I was getting more scared.” The more successful he got, particularly after landing a job on MasterChef in 2005 with John Torode, the higher his anxiety levels. Not surprisingly, it also affected family life.
Gregg says: “I used to not be able to go on holiday without getting anxiety attacks. I had to go to my hotel room and not come out and try to plan things… what my life was going to be like and how I was going.” Now and again, his wife of 10 years, Anna has gently suggested whether he would consider walking away from it all.
He reveals: “She says: ‘Is this worth it? You’re wonderful and you provide for your family really well, but I’m not convinced you’re doing it for us. I think you are doing it for you.’” And that has always been the crux of the matter. Because no matter how periodically stressful Gregg has found life, his ambition still burns bright.
He says: “Anna says I’ll reach the point I am going to calm down and then that’ll just be a springboard to the next thing. It’s fair to say his fourth wife, or “guru Anna” as he lovingly calls her, knows him inside out. They met on Twitter in 2013 after she sent him a message asking whether it was OK to cook duck and rhubarb together. They married three years later at Hever Castle in Kent.
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His face lights up talking about her. As if on cue, she texts us just to say how much she loves him. Gregg says: “I feel like I’ve got the golden ticket, the Willy Wonka golden ticket.” As well as therapy, Gregg credits Anna for helping to overhaul his life, mentally as well as physically with his five stone weight loss.
She is an integral part of his healthy lifestyle company, Gregg Wallace Health, which features 500 of her filmed recipes. Gregg says with a chuckle: “What we need to do now is make her a judge on MasterChef.”
He has helped thousands of people lose weight and adds: “Hopefully they’re happier, too, as they’re not worry-ing about their health.” Anna also encouraged him to cut back on booze. He says: “I love a drink especially at the rugby – the difference is I’m probably now drinking 15% of what I used to.”
Gregg and Anna, 36, are parents to Sid, four, who is non-verbal autistic. He says: “I love him dearly, he’s a happy, cuddly, bouncy little boy.” But it’s challenging and he worries about the future, another reason why he embraced a healthy lifestyle.
He adds: “The only fear for me is that I’m so much older… and when I’m not there. I hate the thought of Anna struggling with an autistic son and not being able to cope.” That concern aside, Gregg’s happiness is plain to see. But with three failed marriages behind him, it’s been a long road to get here.
His marriage to Heidi Brown in 2010 lasted only 15 months but Gregg admits he hates the loneliness of single life, as his bad habits invariably creep in. Gregg says: “I really started drinking. That’s when the weight piled on. That’s when I got really unhappy.”
For support go to mind.org.uk
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