Gregg Wallace’s competitor could be usurping him on MasterChef.
The 60-year-old TV host was replaced by food critic and I’m a Celebrity star Grace Dent on Celebrity MasterChef after it emerged that he was facing allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period.
Wallace has denied the allegations against him. His legal team said in a statement: “It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.”
His replacement for MasterChef: The Professionals, however, is yet to be announced. New reports suggest that Wallace will be replaced by Saturday Kitchen star Matt Tebbutt, who will co-host alongside John Torode. The programme sees seasoned chefs compete to be crowned the best cook.
“Matt rose to the challenge of coming into Saturday Kitchen after it was previously hosted by another big name in the world of food, James Martin,” a TV insider told The Sun.
“He managed the feat of making it his own and almost making viewers forget who his predecessor was — now Beeb bosses, and the show producers Banijay, will be hoping he can work the same magic on MasterChef.”
They added: “Nothing is set in stone, of course, and the result of investigations into Gregg’s behaviour have yet to fully conclude.
“But since MasterChef is such a huge show with a massive following, the Beeb are keen to have everything lined up ready.”
Tebbutt, 51, took over Saturday Kitchen in 2017 after Martin, 52, left the BBC programme to front James Martin’s Saturday Morning on ITV.
Wallace returned to social media last month after a lengthy hiatus. In a post shared in February, Wallace hinted about wanting change, with a graphic of one woman offering out a hand to another, who was on her knees praying on the side of a road labelled “change”.
Wallace wrote in the caption: “We often want to change but fear it. We feel comfort in routine, even if that routine is harmful. We shouldn't be afraid of asking for help.”
The presenter shared another post prior to the graphic on the topic of reflection, writing: “Sunday can be a time for reflection. Perhaps make ourselves a promise for next week”.
Wallace went silent on social media in late 2024, but returned to Instagram four months later with a video recipe for protein pancakes.
