Lorraine Kelly did not hold back as she called out the “toxic” TV industry, namechecking Gregg Wallace’s “appalling behaviour”.
In a new interview, the Scottish TV presenter discussed an “abuse of power” that “should never happen”.
Speaking to The Mirror, the 65-year-old said: “There are toxic people in telly. We’re going through that at the moment.
“The behaviour of Gregg Wallace and other people that we’ve seen, should it come about as all true, is appalling.”
Her comments echo that of chef Tom Kerridge who recently stated that the allegations against Wallace are “horrific if true”.
In November, Wallace, 60 stepped back from his role co-presenting Masterchef after nearly 20 years, as various allegations surfaced claiming that he had made sexual comments to staff and guests. Wallace has vehemently denied all accusations.
Kelly continued: “There’s an imbalance of power there, and it’s abused. They’re just not right, and it should never happen.
“But how dare the people around them allow and enable them to behave like that?” the TV host questioned. “It’s horrible and it’s toxic and nasty. I’ve got no time for people who abuse their power.”
Lorraine Kelly responds to Gregg Wallace MasterChef scandal. (Lorraine/ITV)
The Independent has contacted a representative of Wallace for comment.
When the allegations first emerged against Wallace, he responded with a claim that the accusations against him came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”.
His comments sparked a furious backlash, provoking criticism from Prime Minister Keir Starmer among others, and he left the BBC in turmoil. Wallace later apologised for any “offence that I caused”.
(Getty Images)
At the time, Kelly spoke out against Wallace’s remarks, stating that she was “astounded” by his response and that the Masterchef star needs to “shut up”.
Wallace faces a string of allegations, including from one woman who claimed that he had touched her bottom after an event. Another has claimed that he pressed his crotch against her during the filming of one of his shows.
He also stands accused of making “inappropriate sexual jokes”, asking for the phone numbers of female members of production staff, and undressing in front of women working on his shows. Read more about the accusations here.
MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK, has enlisted a “rigorous” law firm to conduct an external review into Wallace’s alleged misconduct.
There have been calls for the BBC to conduct its own investigation, after it emerged that complaints about Wallace’s behaviour were brought to the corporation’s attention as far back as 2017.
