Gregg Wallace is a familiar face to many, having been a judge on BBC's MasterChef alongside John Torode for over a decade.
However, the 60-year-old is stepping away from his prominent role on the cooking series while the BBC investigates misconduct allegations made against him.
Alongside his work on MasterChef, both Gregg and John have also fronted celebrity editions of the show.
A statement from the show’s production company Banijay UK read: “Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate.
“While this review is under way, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully co-operating throughout the process." Gregg denies making comments of a sexual nature.
READ MORE: Gregg Wallace steps down from MasterChef as BBC investigates complaints [LATEST]
Last month reports emerged that the star has allegedly ‘made inappropriate sexual comments’ on game show Impossible Celebrities, and took his top off in front of an employee in 2018. However, he later addressed allegations of inappropriate comments he allegedly made to a female member of staff at the BBC.
He took to Instagram to write: "With reference to what’s in the newspapers, these allegations were investigated by the BBC six years ago – and my comments were found to be not sexual. I repeat not sexual. Thank you.
"Something else that I feel very strongly about, strong enough to be on here, nobody six years ago or since has accused me of flirting with anyone or hitting on anyone, and that is important to me, and I say this for my wife Anna, who I have been true to and madly in love with since the day I met her.
"I don’t want anyone to misunderstand this and make it look like I was flirting with somebody. Nobody accused me of that and I never have."
Now a famous face, Gregg began his career as a warehouseman at Covent Garden Fruit and Veg Market. He started by selling vegetables at a stand in Covent Garden as he transitioned to a sales role. Eventually, Wallace launched George Allan's Greengrocers, a business that grew rapidly and reached a turnover of £7.5million before appearing on TV.
Growing up wasn't easy for him. Last year, the TV star and fitness enthusiast bravely shared his experience as a survivor of sexual abuse.
Speaking on the Men in Mind podcast, Gregg went on to share that he was sexually assaulted by the husband of his babysitter when he was eight years old.
“I didn’t tell anybody at the time, but I did tell my mum when I was older, but she didn’t really seem to want to know,” he admitted. “I don’t know how that affected me. I’ve never brought that up in therapy, so I’ve got no idea. But he would touch me and get me to touch him and kiss me as well. It was quite a horrendous situation for a young boy.”
Wallace went on to say: “If by chance a young person is listening to this, it’s not your fault,” he said. “Please, just get out there and tell somebody.”
Outside of his career, Wallace lives in a stunning £1million mansion in Kent with his wife Anne-Marie and their young son Sid.
The couple first met on Twitter in 2013, and after three years of dating, they tied the knot. Before Anne, who is over 20 years his junior, Gregg had been married three times.
The foodie previously opened up about raising his autistic son, Sid, in several interviews and on social media.
Gregg has shared that his son was diagnosed with autism and global development delay. He has also acknowledged that his age might be a contributing factor to his son's condition.
He faced criticism after a Telegraph interview suggested he spends more time playing video games in his office than with his son. However, Gregg called the response "unfair" and "cruel".
Gregg's column read: "Another child isn’t something that I would have chosen at my age. I was always very honest with [wife] Anna, but it’s what she wanted and I love her. I just requested two things – that we had help in the house (so her mum moved in), and secondly that we had at least one week a year when we holidayed just the two of us.”
He said: "I didn't mind the mickey taking about Alan Partridge, that I understood. But I was deeply saddened by the idea I didn't spend any time with Sid, I was deeply hurt by that."
