From ‘massive fight’ and ‘walking away’ to ‘never being friends’

John Torode – who has just been sacked from MasterChef – previously opened up about his lack of friendship with co-host Gregg Wallace.

Speaking before the show and its two hosts became embroiled in scandal, 59-year-old John insisted that, away from the cameras, they never socialised together and weren’t pals.

Now, as dozens of complaints about Gregg – and one about John – are upheld by an independent inquiry, ED! takes a look back at a friendship that almost certainly appears to be forever fractured…

Gregg and John were not said to be close pals (Credit: CoverImages.com)

MasterChef star John Torode on his lack of friendship with Gregg Wallace

John and Gregg presented MasterChef together since 2005. However, they knew each other before then, as Gregg used to supply John’s restaurants with vegetables.

However, while John was best man at Gregg’s wedding to fourth wife Anna, John has previously said that they’ve never been friends away from the cameras.

In a 2017 interview with The Mirror, John said: “It’s funny, we’ve never been friends. We’ve not been to each other’s houses. If we go away to somewhere like South Africa, we do things separately. If we do go out for a drink, I’ll invariably be at one end of a big old table and he’ll be at the other.”

He added: “Once, we had a bit too much to drink and filming got called off. We ended up having a massive fight about one of the contestants, and he got really stubborn – it was ridiculous. We’ve had a couple of stand-offs over the years about contestants, and I’ve just had to walk away from him.”

Later, in 2020, John gave an interview to Hello!, where he stated: “We are mates, but also mates fall out. We have to make sure our relationship is professional and that nothing infiltrates that at all.”

The pair presented MasterChef together for two decades (Credit: BBC)

‘Great respect’

John then spoke about Gregg when he appeared on the Desert Island Dishes podcast in 2023. Then, he admitted they got on but had an unconventional relationship. He said: “He’s a friend, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t go to the pub with him. We’ve both not been to each other’s houses… we just don’t do it.”

John added the pair had “great respect for each other,” which he said was crucial in maintaining their professional partnership for more than two decades.

‘We love each other’

Last spring saw John and Gregg appear on Morning Live to discuss the latest series of MasterChef. During the interview, the Australian-born chef opened up on his close friendship with co-star Gregg.

“How have you put up with 20 years of Gregg Wallace? That’s the first question,” Gethin Jones asked.

“It’s a joy isn’t it?” John replied.

“We love each other. We’ve been together for a really long time and it’s pretty extraordinary. 20 years later, we still hug each other and say hello and we’re nice to each other, so that’s pretty good,” he then added.

As it stands, John currently follows Gregg on Instagram. Gregg has unfollowed John, though.

Divide between John and Gregg

Since the scandal erupted, though, John and Gregg have remained estranged – in public at least.

John distanced himself from the allegations surrounding his co-host when they emerged last year. In December, he shared a statement that read: “Since last Friday I have been away filming MasterChef overseas. I love my job and I love MasterChef. I love being part of it and I will continue to be part of it.

“During the last few days, I’ve been trying to make the best cookery programme, so being busy making the show and caring for our contestants has allowed me little time to think about anything else, but that has been hard. The thought of anyone who has appeared on our show not having a brilliant time has been awful to hear. And I have found the press report truly upsetting.

“But as I hope everyone appreciates, there is an investigation underway, which I fully support. So I cannot make any further comment at this stage. I hope that you all understand and respect my silence on the matter moving forward.”

Double MasterChef sacking

Last week, it was revealed that Gregg had been axed by Banijay, the company that makes MasterChef. He declared: “I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience. The full story of this incredible injustice must be told and it is very much a matter of public interest.”

Earlier today (July 15), it was John’s turn for the axe to fall. The BBC shared the news in a statement, stating that after a complaint alleging John used racist language was upheld, it was left with no choice but to not renew his contract.

John denied the use of racist language in a statement earlier today, but hasn’t yet broken his silence about his MasterChef axe.

One thing that does seem broken, however, is his relationship with Gregg – both on and off screen.