The former MasterChef host went on luxury trip to Germany as he faces investigation into alleged misconduct

Gregg Wallace has escaped the country as an investigation into a series of misconduct allegations against him continues. The former MasterChef judge posted a picture of him suited and booted on his way to dinner with wife Anna aboard a plush cruise.

Wearing a bow tie and grinning to the camera, the presenter proudly boasted about his trip about the luxury Queen Anne ship on his Instagram stories to his followers – before deleting it. “Big date night,” he wrote alongside it, with Anna seen over his shoulder as they made their way to the Sir Samuel’s restaurant – which prides itself on its “succulent steaks” and seafood platters.

They are on a North Sea and Baltic cruise with Cunard to Hamburg, having set sail on Sunday from Southampton and stopping off in the European cities of Paris, Bruges and Rotterdam, before docking in Hamburg, Germany, yesterday. Minutes after posting the video on Thursday night it disappeared, with Gregg taking it down. Wallace, 60, has been a speaker on the Queen Anne in the past year. It is not known if he was on the cruise in a professional or personal capacity.

Gregg Wallace posted a video on Instagram from his cruise – before deleting it

Gregg with wife Anna. The couple have son, Sid ( 
Image:
© Neil Genower)
The presenter is facing allegations from 13 people across a range of shows over 17 years, with MasterChef producers Banijay currently carrying out an investigation into his behaviour. He has largely stayed quiet on social media after issuing a grovelling apology for calling his accusers “middle-class women of a certain age” in a video rant on his Instagram. Wallace later ate humble pie, saying: “I want to apologise for any offence that I caused with my post yesterday and any upset I may have caused. I wasn’t in a good headspace when I posted it, I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, I felt very alone, under siege yesterday when I posted it. It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out now, while this investigation is under way.” Household names like Newsnight’s Kirsty Wark and Location, Location, Location’s Kirstie Alsopp have called out his past behaviour.

This week it was announced that food critic Grace Dent would be replacing Gregg as a judge on MasterChef. Grace, 51, will front the upcoming 20th series of Celebrity MasterChef alongside John Torode. She said: “I have been watching MasterChef since I was a girl sitting with my dad on the sofa. My whole family watches it. It’s all about uncovering and championing talent. To have ended up in this position is more than a dream to me. I’m so excited that I can’t eat, which is severely detrimental to a restaurant critic. I feel very lucky to be stepping in for the next Celebrity MasterChef. I can’t wait to meet the fresh celebrity faces for 2025.”

Grace Dent has replaced Gregg as the MasterChef judge. She will join John Torode on the next series ( 
Image:
PA)

The BBC last month said Wallace would step away from the show, which began in 1990, amid an external review into historical allegations of misconduct. Author and podcaster Grace has been a regular guest on MasterChef, and last year was a contestant on MasterChef: Battle of the Critics. MasterChef: The Professionals continued to be shown in recent weeks despite allegations against Wallace of inappropriate sexual behaviour. But two MasterChef celebrity Christmas specials – Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook-Off and MasterChef Meets Strictly – were pulled from the BBC schedule.

Wallace’s lawyers have said it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.