Gregg Wallace leaves BBC show after insisting 'I never meant to cause offence'

17 July 2023 , 12:23

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Gregg Wallace leaves BBC show after insisting 'I never meant to cause offence'

Gregg Wallace has left BBC's Inside The Factory after insisting he 'never meant to cause offence' to anyone on the show.

The MasterChef star, 58, quit the primetime programme after seven years, saying he wanted to spend more time with his son, Sid, four, who has autism.

However, reports surfaced Gregg had allegedly offended female members working on the show with a source saying the former greengrocer was "rude towards staff and continued to talk in a derogatory manner, especially to women."

In response to the claims, Gregg said in June: “I’ve enjoyed doing [Inside the Factory] for a number of years and I’ve done hundreds of factories.

MasterChef star Gregg Wallace has left BBC's Inside The Factory after being accused of offending female members on the show

"I use humour to relax people. It’s a tool I’ve used for lots of years. I never, ever set out to upset or offend anybody and I never would. It makes me upset that I might have upset people," reports The Times.

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Gregg told the BBC earlier this year: “As viewers know, to say I find the inside of factories fascinating is an understatement. I’ve never failed to be amazed by the scale of production. Whether it’s conveyor belts full of tiny sweets or a double decker bus rolling out of the factory for the very first time.

“For me, filming the show alongside my other TV and family commitments has always been a balance. As my son Sid’s needs become more challenging, I’ve decided the time has come to hang up my hairnet. We’ve already filmed 12 future episodes so viewers can see me enjoying lots more factories in my hi-viz jacket for a while to come yet.”

The first series of Inside the Factory aired in 2015, with the show now recording 52 episodes with the team revealing the inside of secrets of big name brands including Kellog's and Walkers.

Father-of-three Greg has front the show since it launched but will now be standing down.

It comes after he opened up about his family life and his son's non-verbal autism diagnosis on Loose Women recently.

Speaking about the four-year-old, who he shares with Anne-Marie Sterpini, who he married in 2016, Gregg admitted he was 'really worried'.

He explained: "He [Sid] gets more frustrated because he can't tell you what he wants."

Sharing a video of 'Squid' giving his dad a high-five, the food guru said progress is being made after a "year of no eye contact and not answering to his name".

However, Gregg then admitted living with an autistic child wasn't easy, explaining: "You don't know why they're having a meltdown. The other day we think he might have banged his nose but we don't know because he can't say.

"This is the problem. We really worry, this is why we need some form of communication. We worry that if he's ill he can't tell you what it is."

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Gregg concluded: "But he is lovely and he is cuddly and he is happy. And if he wants something he grabs your hand and takes you."

Offering advice to parents who think their child may be autistic, he concluded: "Honestly, if you think you might have an issue, go and see someone."

Victoria Johns