John Torode’s wife Lisa Faulkner has spoken out following the announcement that the MasterChef star has been sacked from the BBC show after a racism probe
Lisa Faulkner, wife of John Torode, has finally broken her silence on social media following her husband’s dismissal from MasterChef due to a historic allegation of racism.
In an Instagram Stories video shared this evening, the actress expressed her gratitude to fans, saying: “Hi there, I just wanted to check in and say hello. I’m here and just thank you for all your lovely comments because they really, really mean a lot. So thank you.”
Faulkner, 53, and Torode tied the knot in 2019, marking the second marriage for both. The former Holby City star was previously married to Chris Coghill, famed for his role as Tony King in ‘EastEnders’, with whom she shares an adopted daughter named Billie.
Torode’s ex-wife is a woman named Jessica, and they have two children together. The ex-MasterChef judge, 59, also has two older children from a previous relationship.
The paths of Faulkner and Torode first crossed when Lisa took part in Celebrity MasterChef’ in 2010, sparking a strong friendship that eventually turned into love. Despite their immediate connection, Lisa insists there was no initial romantic spark, reports the Mirror.
“He was a judge on a show I loved and I was petrified of him.He was brilliant and gave us all tips so you didn’t want to let him down,” she reminisced.
“All I could think was, ‘That sauce hasn’t worked’. I didn’t see anything but food for three months. After I won, we did The Good Food Show and stuff. John and I always got on, but I never thought about me and him.”
The BBC and production company Banijay UK have confirmed that Torode’s MasterChef contract won’t be renewed. Aussie-born Torode, 59, has been co-hosting the show with Gregg Wallace since 2005.
Torode admitted he was at the centre of a racism allegation that was upheld during a review by law firm Lewis Silkin into Wallace’s alleged behaviour.
Banijay UK released a statement saying: “In response to John Torode’s statement, it is important to stress that Banijay UK takes this matter incredibly seriously. The legal team at Lewis Silkin that investigated the allegations relating to Gregg Wallace also substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against John Torode which occurred in 2018.
“This matter has been formally discussed with John Torode by Banijay UK, and whilst we note that John says he does not recall the incident, Lewis Silkin have upheld the very serious complaint. Banijay UK and the BBC are agreed that we will not renew his contract on MasterChef.”
The Lewis Silkin report, commissioned by Banijay UK, found that 45 out of 83 allegations against Wallace were substantiated, along with two standalone allegations made against other individuals, including one for using racist language.
Celebrity chef John Torode has been booted off MasterChef after an investigation found he had allegedly used racist language in the workplace. Torode confirmed he was the one at the centre of the allegations but claimed he had “no recollection of the incident” and was “shocked and saddened” by the accusation.
A BBC spokesperson stated: “John Torode has identified himself as having an upheld allegation of using racist language against him. This allegation – which involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace- was investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by the law firm, Lewis Silkin. John Torode denies the allegation.
“He has stated he has no recollection of the alleged incident and does not believe that it happened. He also says that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment.
“The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously. We will not tolerate racist language of any kind and, as we have already said, we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken. John Torode’s contract on MasterChef will not be renewed.”
Despite Torode’s MasterChef axe, he has still appeared on screens with Lisa for their own TV show. A source close to ITV confirmed to the Mirror their schedules for John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen ‘remain unchanged’ despite John’s sacking from MasterChef.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
