GREGG Wallace has vowed he “won’t go quietly” after being fired by the BBC.
The Masterchef star was sacked following a nine month investigation into claims of misconduct against him.
But he was exonerated of the most serious allegations levelled against him including accusations of groping.
The report is officially due out on Thursday, but his legal team have been given an early steer, according to insiders.
Gregg has put out a statement on Instagram today after being informed of the decision by production company Banijay.
He wrote: “I have taken the decision to speak out ahead of the publication of the Silkins report – a decision I do not take lightly.
“But after 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others.
“I have now been cleared by the Silkins report of the most serious and sensational accusations made against me.
“The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation.
“My decision to go public now is also driven by the fact the BBC News division are intending to platform legally unsafe accusations, including claims which have already been investigated and not upheld by the BBC and found not credible by Silkins.
“The BBC is no longer providing balanced and impartial public service journalism. It is peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories.
“The BBC is choosing to allow BBC News to run with this uncorroborated tittle tattle in an attempt to
‘get ahead of the Silkin’s summary report and derail what has been an extremely thorough process.
“This feels to me like BBC News is chasing slanderous click-bait rather than delivering impartial journalism.
“To be clear, the Silkin’s Report exonerates me of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year and finds me primarily guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018.
I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise without reservation.
“But I was never the caricature now being sold for clicks.
“I was hired by the BBC and Master Chef as the cheeky greengrocer. A real person with warmth, character, rough edges and all. For over two decades, that authenticity was part of the brand.
“Now, in a sanitised world, that same personality is seen as a problem.
My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of Master Chef.
“Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over twenty years. That failure is now being quietly buried.
“Unfortunately, the full report (over 200 pages) will never be seen. Later this week, the BBC will publish a short Executive Summary.
“What really concerns me about the short summary is others who have been found guilty of serious allegations have been erased from the published version of events. I, and I’m sure the public, would like to know why?
“I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience. I was tried by media and hung out to dry well before the facts were established.
“The full story of this incredible injustice must be told and it is very much a matter of public interest.
“Gregg Wallace.”
‘FURIOUS AND DEVASTATED’
This comes as a source revealed last night how the star is both “furious and devastated”.
“His team have seen the report and believe he is cleared of the most serious wrongdoing allegations, so he has taken great consolation from that,” they said.
“Whilst he is not excusing his inappropriate comments and innuendos – some of which he has been found against – on his recent autism diagnosis, this has been a mitigating factor.
“He has also been cleared of some of the higher profile allegations, including those brought on by Penny Lancaster and Kirsty Wark, but the BBC has made it clear there is no way back for him. He is devastated.
“There have been so many people involved in all of this and obviously everyone, bar Gregg who now has nothing to lose, has a vested interest in protecting the money-spinning Masterchef brand.”
News of his axing comes nine months after production company Banijay launched an investigation into his behaviour on the smash BBC1 show, inviting anyone who had worked or appeared on it to share their experiences.
Thirteen complaints from women – which later rose to 30 – about historical allegations of misconduct were investigated, whilst Kristy Wark, Penny Lancaster, Vanessa Feltz, and Kirstie Allsopp also spoke out.
He was again publicly vilified after taking to Instagram to slam the lurid allegations coming from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”.
Gregg Wallace – MasterChef scandal in Brief
GREGG Wallace has stepped down from his MasterChef hosting role after a probe into alleged inappropriate behaviour. But what’s the situation?
Regular MasterChef host Gregg Wallace is currently the subject of a probe after an investigation was launched into his alleged misconduct over a number of years.
Gregg has been accused of making sexual remarks to 13 colleagues including Beeb anchor Kirsty Wark – accusations he denies.
The 60-year-old has now stepped away from the BBC show while historical misconduct allegations against him are investigated.
Yet the former greengrocer spoke out on social media to blast the “women of a certain age” who he claimed were behind the allegations.
The cooking show’s production company, Banijay UK, has said law firm Lewis Silkin would lead the investigation into Wallace’s alleged misconduct.
The star was cleared of the most serious allegations against him[/caption]
More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
