Loose Women star Janet Street-Porter has said that the reaction of MasterChef co-presenter Gregg Wallace to the scandal that has engulfed him has been “disastrous”
TV veteran Janet Street-Porter has a bit of a history with MasterChef, having been a finalist in the Celebrity edition back in 2013 where she was pipped to the post by Ade Edmonson’s “boring” cooking, only to make a triumphant return and clinch victory in the 2020 Christmas special.
Longtime Loose Women panellist Janet hasn’t minced her words when it comes to co-host Gregg Wallace, describing his handling of recent controversies as “disastrous, absolutely disastrous,” during her chat on the Off Air with Jane and Fi podcast. She didn’t stop there, suggesting that he’s far from the only challenging character in the British television industry.
“There are plenty of people like that,” she remarked, acknowledging the less-than-pleasant personalities one might encounter behind the scenes. “There are plenty of people who are quite nauseating to work with. But you know, we just get on with it.”
Still harbouring a touch of bitterness over her 2013 MasterChef defeat, Janet claims the dessert she whipped up for the final was later featured at John Torode’s restaurant, a fact she discovered after getting to know both him and Gregg better. “I got to know John and Gregg pretty well then,” she reminisced.
“I already knew Gregg because he delivered vegetables to my partner’s restaurant. We knew him as Gregg the Veg from the year dot. Then I did MasterChef the second time, which was a Christmas one, which I’m very pleased to say I won.”
Janet recalled that, during her victorious Christmas appearance, she sensed “a bit of a distance” between the show’s presenters Gregg and John, noting that they didn’t seem as friendly as when she fist saw them together.
The MasterChef scandal exploded last year when former Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark and others accused Gregg of making inappropriate sexual remarks off-camera.
Rock legend Sir Rod Stewart then claimed that Wallace had “humiliated” his wife Penny Lancaster during her stint on Celebrity MasterChef in 2021, while reality TV star Charlotte Crosby described him as “extremely unpleasant” during her time on the BBC programme.
Ex-host Melanie Sykes also disclosed a “jaw-dropping” encounter with Wallace on the celebrity cooking show, which led her to abandon her television career.
Wallace responded to the furore with an Instagram video, insinuating that the complaints were from “middle-class women of a certain age”, sparking further criticism from past Celebrity MasterChef contestants such as Ulrika Jonsson, Kirstie Allsopp, and Emma Kennedy.
Amidst the backlash, Wallace retracted his words, apologising for any “offence” or “upset” caused, admitting he was under significant stress when he made the controversial video.
Earlier this month, after being sacked from MasterChef and the release of an inquiry’s findings, Wallace shared another video claiming he was exonerated from the “most serious and sensational accusations” levelled against him, whilst conceding that some of his jokes had been inappropriate “at times.”
He also warned he wouldn’t fade away silently following his removal from the series.
Amidst allegations of racist language by John Torode, his co-host on MasterChef, the chef has expressed that he is “shocked and saddened” by the claims, stating he has “no recollection” of such an incident and acknowledging that any racially-offensive language “is wholly unacceptable in any environment”.
Despite the storm brewing around them, both Torode and Wallace have refuted the accusations levelled against them and have stepped down from their roles on MasterChef and Celebrity MasterChef.
Yet, even with the recent uproar surrounding the show and the alleged conduct of its hosts, Janet believes the upcoming series featuring the duo should still be aired.
She reasons: “I think the reason why it should be put out is, number one, it will be absolutely edited to remove anything that could cause offence or be construed in an unacceptable way.”
Janet also emphasises the fairness to the contestants, saying: “Secondly, the time and effort that the contestants put into MasterChef is tremendous. And I think that to deny them their airtime and their moment in the spotlight is cruel, because what happened was nothing to do with them.”
The broadcaster insists that the BBC must make the most of the situation, considering the investment already made in filming the episodes.
Reflecting on her own past as a TV executive, Janet admits to her overzealous approach: “I was a BBC executive,” she confessed. “I was in charge of Junior MasterChef for about five minutes till they took it off me for being slightly overbearing to the contestants.”
Janet was reticent to delve into the specifics of her own MasterChef scandal, only revealing that she “made some child cry because I said something about kikifruit with a pork chop.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
