John Torode had said he and fellow MasterChef host Gregg Wallace have “never been friends”.
Despite presenting the hugely popular BBC1 programme with the former market trader since 2005, Torode does his best to avoid his colleague when the cameras stop rolling.
Even when the pair – arguably one of TV’s most famous duos – film in far-flung and exotic places, they prefer to keep their distance, the Sunday Mirror revealed in 2017 as MasterChef prepared for its 13th series since its revival.
This interview remains resonant now as it emerged Wallace, 60, will no longer host MasterChef – for now – amid an investigation into historical allegations of misconduct going back to 2005. It’s claimed the host wandered naked into the studio with a sock pulled over his privates, among a number of other acts.
When Torode spoke to us in 2017, the now 59-year-old chef said: “We’ve never been friends.” Torode, from Melbourne, Australia, described his colleague as “so OCD” at the time, adding: “It’s funny, we’ve never been friends. We’ve not been to each other’s houses… He’s so OCD, he wouldn’t know what to do. He’d build it up in his mind for three days, and probably make himself quite sick, then he’d have an argument with his wife and not turn up. If I went to his house, he would feel like he wasn’t in control.”
Torode has not commented on the investigation into Wallace’s alleged behaviour since the full allegations emerged. Instead of acknowledging his colleague’s departure, John uploaded a photo to his Instagram stories outside his local David Lloyd club in north London. Looking like he’d had a good workout, the chef captioned the post “Love spin” and added: “Another bloody great class thank you.”
Thirteen people, including former Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, have made complaints to the BBC about historical allegations. Wark, 69, appeared in series six of the Celebrity MasterChef spin off in 2011, and claims that on two occasions Wallace told stories and jokes of a “sexualised nature” in front of contestants and crew.
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Wark said: “I think people were uncomfortable. We were essentially a captive audience. People looked embarrassed and just got on with their work. I was actually more angry than anything else, because I thought it was so inappropriate.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them. We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
“Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them.”
Wallace’s lawyers say it is “entirely false” that he engages in sexually harassing behaviour. Banijay UK, which produces the show for the BBC, confirmed Wallace will be “stepping away” from the programme.
