London — Gregg Wallace, the brash former greengrocer turned TV star, has laid bare the toll of misconduct allegations that drove him from the BBC’s MasterChef, admitting he wrestled with suicidal thoughts as his world unraveled. In a raw interview published on April 25, the 60-year-old presenter described a storm of accusations that left him isolated, sleepless, and questioning his own survival.
The saga began last November when Wallace stepped away from MasterChef, a show he’d co-hosted since 2005, after 13 people—many young female freelancers—alleged inappropriate sexual comments spanning 17 years across five programs. The claims, first reported by BBC News, ranged from Wallace allegedly discussing his sex life openly to telling a junior colleague he wasn’t wearing underwear. Some accused him of showing topless photos or asking for massages. More allegations surfaced later, including claims of groping and touching, all of which Wallace has denied outright.
“I thought about suicide all the time,” Wallace told the Daily Mail, painting a grim picture of his mental state. He described sleepless nights, a racing chest, and a crushing sense of abandonment, with reporters camped outside his Kent home and social media ablaze with vitriol. “You’re watching yourself get ripped apart, accused of stuff over and over. You’re thinking, ‘This isn’t true. What’s next?’” He claimed the BBC offered-
MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK, launched an investigation, and Wallace was replaced by food critic Grace Dent. The findings, expected next month, are said to likely favor Wallace, though the probe continues.
Wallace’s initial response didn’t help his case. In a now-infamous Instagram video, he dismissed the accusers as “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age,” a comment that drew fire from figures like Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who called it “inappropriate and misogynistic.” Wallace later apologized, admitting the post—made after four sleepless days—was a mistake. “I went wild,” he said, noting it finally prompted a MasterChef executive to reach out, breaking days of silence.
The presenter also revealed a recent autism diagnosis, which he said shed light on his behavior but wasn’t an excuse. “I’m not blaming...
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