Loose Women panellist Janet Street-Porter, who won Celebrity MasterChef in 2020, says she noticed a “distance” between Gregg Wallace and John Torode when she returned to the show
Janet Street-Porter spotted a noticeable “distance” between MasterChef hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode during her appearances on the programme. The Loose Women star featured on Celebrity MasterChef twice, in 2018 and 2020.
Janet revealed she was already acquainted with Gregg through her partner Peter Spanton’s restaurant venture before joining the show. She revealed she developed a strong rapport with both MasterChef hosts throughout the competition.
In a Times Radio interview, Janet disclosed that John’s restaurant even incorporated one of her recipes from her initial appearance on the programme. However, the television personality observed that the dynamic between the two presenters had shifted when she returned for her second stint on the programme.
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Janet explained: “I got to know John and Gregg pretty well then. I already knew Gregg because he delivered vegetables to my partner’s restaurant and we knew him as Gregg the Veg from year dot.
“Then I did MasterChef the second time, which was the Christmas one which I’m very pleased to say I won, thank god, and so I worked with them again and I didn’t really notice any difference in the way they talked to the contestants except that I felt there was a bit of a distance between the two of them that I picked up on the second time. They weren’t quite so pally with each other,” reports the Express.
Both Gregg and John have been dismissed by the BBC following production company Banijay’s investigation into the programme. This followed 83 complaints regarding Gregg’s conduct on the show.
Legal firm Lewis Silkin validated 45 of the grievances made against the presenter.
A separate allegation that John used racist terminology eight years prior was also substantiated during the probe, though the celebrity maintains he has “no recollection” of the occurrence.
Gregg has subsequently issued an apology, stating he “never set out to harm or humiliate”.
Reports from BBC News suggest Gregg and John were “never friends”.
“Clearly they had a good chemistry when the cameras were rolling. But you rarely saw them interact when the cameras were off,” a former MasterChef worker told the BBC.
Both presenters featured in a series of MasterChef yet to be broadcast.
The BBC has nonetheless confirmed the series will air later this year, announcing a decision was reached “after careful consideration and consultation with the contestants”.
In a statement, the BBC said: “MasterChef is an amazing competition which is life-changing for the amateur chefs taking part. The focus of it has always been their skill and their journey.”
No verdict has been reached regarding the celebrity edition and the Christmas version, both of which were recorded with John, despite Gregg having already been succeeded by food critic Grace Dent.
A BBC spokesperson has announced: “After careful consideration and consultation with the contestants, we have decided to broadcast the amateur series of MasterChef on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 6 August. MasterChef is an amazing competition which is life-changing for the amateur chefs taking part. The focus of it has always been their skill and their journey.”
They acknowledged the complexity of the situation, adding: “This has not been an easy decision in the circumstances and we appreciate not everyone will agree with it. In showing the series, which was filmed last year, it in no way diminishes our view of the seriousness of the upheld findings against both presenters. We have been very clear on the standards of behaviour that we expect of those who work at the BBC or on shows made for the BBC.”
The spokesperson further justified the decision by saying: “However, we believe that broadcasting this series is the right thing to do for these cooks who have given so much to the process. We want them to be properly recognised and give the audience the choice to watch the series.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
