MasterChef star William Sitwell defends Gregg Wallace as replacement announced
MasterChef star William Sitwell defends Gregg Wallace as replacement announced
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William Sitwell, 55, who frequently appears on MasterChef as a quest judge during quarter finals, has spoken out in support of Gregg Wallace, 60. The BBC star spoke about Gregg on Times Radio, and spoke about Gregg after he was placed under investigation last month due to historic complaints that he’d made “sexual comments” on set of MasterChef. William said that he “wished Gregg well” and encouraged people to have “sympathy” for him, amid rumours Gregg has given up any hope of returning to the show.
William said: “I'm not gaslighting, you sometimes have to speak from your own experience. And all I know is that, 20 years in that studio, I've never seen him utter an unkind word to anybody deliberately. That's not to say that I'm 100% correct. I did write a piece about him, describing the Gregg that I've known over the years. I'll stand by that. We'll just have to see what comes from the Banijay investigation.”.
Host John Pienaar responded: “You're taking a loyal line there to a mate. But that's not to say you're just disputing the evidence, the mass of it that's come out of late.”. “Look, I'm not someone who could possibly dispute the evidence,” said William. “I think sometimes it's a good thing to stand by your friends. I know him well. I wish him well. I think it's very difficult to survive under the avalanche of press publicity. I have some sympathy. Let's see what happens.”.
Newsnight host Kirsty Wark was among several people who have accused the MasterChef presenter of making inappropriate sexual comments or jokes, with news later emerging that complaints had been made about Gregg when he went on Strictly Come Dancing back in 2014.
