Rod Stewart accuses 'bully' Gregg Wallace of humiliating wife on MasterChef

Rod Stewart has accused Gregg Wallace of 'humiliating' his wife Penny Lancaster during her MasterChef appearance in 2021.

Sir Rod, 79, called Wallace a "tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully" and bid him "good riddance." In a post to Instagram, Sir Rod said: "You humiliated my wife when she was on the show, but you had that bit cut out didn't you?"

On Thursday, it was reported that Wallace, 60, is set to step away from his long-running role on the BBC show after complaints from 13 individuals about historical allegations of misconduct.

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Model Penny, 53, has been married to the soft rocker and Celtic fan since 2007. She took part in the BBC's MasterChef programme in 2021, making it through to the semi-finals.

Former Covent Garden vegetable seller Wallace began his BBC career in 2002, and has presented several early evening shows, alongside MasterChef, including Inside the Factory and Eat Well for Less.

The 'Do Ya Think I'm Sexy' hitmaker Sir Rod ended his scathing post on Wallace, saying: "Karma got ya."

Wallace is alleged to have made inappropriate sexual comments after complaints from 13 people who worked alongside him on a variety of shows across a 17-year period. It was revealed after BBC News sent a letter to Wallace’s representatives on Tuesday (November 26) setting out allegations.

Allegations made to the BBC include Wallace openly talking about his sex life, taking his top off in front of a female worker to "give her a fashion show", and telling a junior female colleague he wasn't wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans. His lawyers say the claims he engages in sexually harassing behaviour are entirely false.

An investigation has been launched by Masterchef's production company, Banijay UK. The firm said Wallace is co-operating.

Wallace, 60, is “committed to fully cooperating throughout the process”, a statement from the production company to the PA news agency said. In the statement, Banijay UK said: “This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows.

"Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate. While this review is underway, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully cooperating throughout the process.

"Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.

“Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately. If anyone would like to talk to us or raise any issues or concerns, then they can contact speakup@banijayuk.com in confidence.”

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