Celebrity MasterChef stars Luca Bish and Amy Walsh have said they are “beyond gutted” that the upcoming MasterChef Christmas specials have been cancelled.
Love Island star Bish, 25, and Emmerdale actress Walsh, 37, had been set to appear in a festive edition of the BBC cooking show alongside The Wanted singer Max George and comedian Shazia Mirza.
The Celebrity MasterChef Cook Off specials, which were hosted by Gregg Wallace and John Torode, were due to air on BBC One later this month.
However, the broadcaster announced that it has pulled the specials following accusations of Wallace’s alleged “inappropriate sexual” behaviour.
Wallace, 60, stepped away from MasterChef last week as an external review of misconduct allegations takes place.
Bish and Walsh shared their devastation at the festive editions being pulled on Instagram.
Bish shared a black and white photo of him appearing as a contestant in the MasterChef kitchen in 2023.
“Christmas is cancelled. Gutted our Christmas special has been put on hold but hope to be on your screens again soon,” he wrote alongside it.
Walsh posted a similar photo of herself on the cooking show and wrote: “Beyond gutted about this decision after all the hard work we all put in.
“Sorry to confirm they won’t be showing our Celebrity Christmas Special 2024! When we can I’ll try and share some pics of what I made, maybe I’ll recreate it for you all in my kitchen.”
On Tuesday, a BBC spokesperson said: “As we have said, MasterChef is an amazing competition which is life-changing for the chefs taking part and the current series of MasterChef: The Professionals is continuing as planned.
“The celebrity Christmas specials are obviously a different type of show and in the current circumstances we have decided not to broadcast them.”
Three episodes of BBC Two's Inside the Factory, which are repeats, have also been taken out of the schedule.
Wallace faces allegations about his behaviour from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, as reported by BBC News last week.
Many other women have come forward with accusations, including Kirstie Allsopp, Melanie Sykes, Ulrika Jonsson, and Kirsty Wark.
On Tuesday, a woman said he touched her bottom at an event and another said he pressed his crotch against her while filming on a different show, according to the BBC.
Wallace, 60, was blasted for claiming he was facing complaints from "a handful of middle-class women of a certain age".
He later apologised for the comment and said he will now "take some time out".
