A Place In The Sun’s Jean Johansson claims Gregg Wallace was ‘massively unprofessional and constantly inappropriate’
GREGG Wallace has been accused of being unprofessional and inappropriate on the Celebrity MasterChef set.
Gregg made headlines at the end of last month when he unexpectedly stepped down from his role as a host on MasterChef.
The host of the hit show stepped down after multiple complaints against him emerged.
He has been accused of making sexual remarks to 13 colleagues including Beeb anchor Kirsty Wark. Gregg denies all accusations.
Now, another celebrity has spoken publicly about Gregg’s behaviour on MasterChef and what they experienced in the celebrity special of the cookery show.
Jean Johansson, who is known for starring on A Place In The Sun, has said that Gregg was “massively unprofessional and constantly inappropriate”.
The Channel 4 star appeared on the BBC One cookery show in 2018 alongside Spencer Matthews and Frankie Bridge, as well as several other famous faces.
Jean has now revealed that while on set she was shocked by Gregg’s behaviour during filming.
She also said that the crew and producers appeared to be used to Gregg’s behaviour.
Speaking in a new interview with The Sunday Mail, Jean recalled: “I remember quite a few moments in our interactions when I was thinking they’ll never use this (on TV) because the things he was saying were so off colour.
“I consider myself someone who loves to laugh, I’m adaptable to new working environments and I can handle different personalities but I was shocked by some of Gregg’s ‘banter’.
‘HE’S ARROGANT, LOUD AND SELF-IMPORTANT’
“He’s arrogant, loud and self-important, the type of guy who cracks up at his own one-liners.”
She then went on to add how he wasn’t “at all” what she expected him, with her finding him largely “likeable and fun” when she saw him on the TV and thought his on-screen persona was “likeable”.
But in real life, Jean claimed that Gregg was “dismissive, rude and knew exactly when to turn it on for the cameras”.
The star continued: “They [the crew, directors and producers] know the star of their show so they acted like it was completely normal.
“And therein lies a big part the problem.”
Gregg Wallace - MasterChef scandal in Brief
GREGG Wallace has stepped down from his MasterChef hosting role after a probe into alleged inappropriate behaviour. But what's the situation?
Regular MasterChef host Gregg Wallace is currently the subject of a probe after an investigation was launched into his alleged misconduct over a number of years.
Gregg has been accused of making sexual remarks to 13 colleagues including Beeb anchor Kirsty Wark – accusations he denies.
The 60-year-old has now stepped away from the BBC show while historical misconduct allegations against him are investigated.
Yet the former greengrocer spoke out on social media to blast the “women of a certain age” who he claimed were behind the allegations.
The cooking show’s production company, Banijay UK, has said law firm Lewis Silkin would lead the investigation into Wallace’s alleged misconduct.
Jean then said that she was speaking out about what allegedly happened after he claimed the women who made complaints about him were “middle class and of a certain age”.
‘MASSIVELY UNPROFESSIONAL’
“I’m working class and younger than the women who have taken issue with his conduct yet I can concur he was massively unprofessional and was constantly inappropriate,” Jean said.
She added: “I don’t like what he’s implying about the people who have spoken up.
“He’s trying to bunch them all into a group bizarrely suggesting class and age has something to do with taking offence but the one thing they all have in common is that they’re extremely bright and successful women who could see through the TV’s nice guy act within seconds.”
She then said that the BBC “should be on top of making sure the set on Celebrity Masterchef is professional and pleasant at all times”.
ISSUES WILL BE ‘TAKEN SERIOUSLY’
A spokesperson for the BBC has said: “In recent days there has been concerning allegations made via the media about the alleged conduct of Gregg Wallace, many of which relate to shows made for the BBC.
“These media stories are running alongside an independent investigation, which was instigated after formal complaints were made direct to the BBC and were referred to Banijay UK for further investigation.
“We would like to thank those who have had the courage to speak out.
“We have always been clear that should people want to raise issues with the BBC, they will be taken very seriously.”
COOKING CONTINUES
This comes after Banijay, the production company behind MasterChef, confirmed last week that the show will be on the BBC for at least four more years.
Bectu, the union who represent over 40,000 staff, contract and freelance workers in the media and entertainment industries, released a statement earlier this month.
They said: “Following [the] terrible revelations about alleged unacceptable behaviour by Gregg Wallace, a number of MasterChef freelancers approached us, afraid of losing their jobs.
“We have been in urgent talks with producers, Banijay.”
The statement continued: “Today, we received positive news:
“Banijay has had ‘absolute confirmation from the BBC that they are fully committed to the current series [of MasterChef] and the show for at least the next 4 years.’
“Filming will continue,” they continued.
When approached by The Sun, a spokesperson for Banijay told us: “I can confirm that the Bectu statement is correct.”