Strictly Come Dancing star Grace Dent will reportedly be announced as Gregg Wallace's replacement on MasterChef in a matter of days. The former presenter and judge stepped away from the BBC cookery show after a string of women came forward to make claims about him. As a result of the claims, Banijay UK, the show's production company, revealed it would be launching an external review looking at historical allegations of misconduct.
Gregg has continued to deny any wrongdoing, with his lawyers insisting "it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature." But even so, he is set to be replaced. Food critic Grace, 51, has a plethora of experience under her belt, having written about food for years. She's also appeared on MasterChef regularly as a critic, as well as had a foray into mainstream TV with stints on Strictly and I'm A Celebrity.
The BBC is set to announce Grace as Gregg's replacement by the end of the week, The Sun reports, with Grace joining forces with his former co-host John Torode for a new era of MasterChef. A source told the paper: "Grace is the perfect choice to replace Gregg on Masterchef.
"She’s knowledgeable about food and opinionated, plus it’s great to have a woman as a judge on the show. It will shake things up and give the series the boost it needs after such an upsetting and uncertain time.". The source added that Grace is a "fan favourite", and her "sense of humour" and "no-nonsense" attitude had garnered respect in the "foodie world". They explained that bosses at MasterChef believe her to be a "safe pair of hands" who can "steer" MasterChef towards "steadier waters" with John.
