Copyright standard
Former Masterchef presenter Gregg Wallace has turned to Cameo to make money - after trying to seek £10,000 from the BBC for “distress and harassment”. The former TV personality, 66, signed up to the website yesterday, according to the MailOnline. People can receive a video from Wallace for £38.05, or anyone can DM him for £2.28. But businesses will have to pay a steeper £342.47. His profile says he is the “former presenter of MasterChef, Inside The Factory and Eat Well For Less” and that he is “excited” to make videos. The ex-presenter is suing the BBC and BBC Studios Distribution Limited after he was sacked in July. But the BBC has said Gregg Wallace is not “entitled to any damages” in response to his High Court claim alleging that the broadcaster and one of its subsidiaries caused him “distress and harassment”. His dismissal came after an investigation into historical allegations of misconduct, which upheld multiple accusations against him. The presenter has filed a legal claim for up to £10,000 in damages, alleging that the broadcaster failed to comply with a request for copies of his personal data, which caused “distress and harassment”. In its defence filed at the High Court, Jason Pobjoy KC, for the BBC, said: “It is denied that the claimant has suffered any distress or harassment as a result of the responses of the BBC.” He continued: “It is denied that the claimant is entitled to any damages, interest or other relief, whether as pleaded or otherwise.” The broadcaster further denied that Wallace “has suffered any distress or harassment” as a result of its responses. Wallace began co-presenting MasterChef in 2005, but it was announced in November 2024 that he would step away from his role while the misconduct allegations were investigated. A review by law firm Lewis Silkin later upheld 45 of the 83 allegations against him, including one of “unwelcome physical contact”. The report found that the “majority of the allegations against Wallace (94%) related to behaviour which is said to have occurred between 2005 and 2018”, with only one allegation substantiated after that year. It also concluded that the “majority of the substantiated allegations against Mr Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour”, adding that “a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated”. Wallace issued an apology saying he was “deeply sorry for any distress caused” and that he “never set out to harm or humiliate”. Wallace also told The Sun that while he accepted some of the findings, many incidents had been “perceived incorrectly”. He claimed his behaviour reflected “learned workplace culture” and that his autism diagnosis had contributed to misunderstandings. His MasterChef co-star, Australian-born chef John Torode, was also dismissed after two decades following separate allegations that he had used a racial slur – something he says he has “no recollection” of.
