Gregg Wallace's devastating new MasterChef blow as Express readers have say on future

Gregg Wallace stepped down from his role on MasterChef after allegations of misconduct were made against him.

The 60-year-old has been accused of sexual harrassment by his ghostwriter, making "inappropriate sexual jokes", undressing in front of and standing "too close" to women working on his shows, amongst others.

The BBC say that they have received allegations of inappropriate sexual comments by 13 people who he worked with across different shows over 17 years.

After the BBC launched an investigation into the complaints made against him, Express.co.uk launched a poll on whether MasterChef should be put on hold while the probe continued.

Express readers have now had their say, with 58% believing it should not be put on hold. 40% of readers voted 'Yes', while 2% of readers voted 'Don't know'.

Wallace had presented MasterChef with John Torode since its inception in 2005, but was forced to step down when the allegations came to light.

Further allegations claim he groped three people in different incidents, "mimicked sex acts" and walked around the studio almost "completely naked".

A number of celebrities have spoken out about Wallace's behaviour, including Kirsty Wark, Rod Stewart and Ulrika Jonsson.

Wallace has fiercely denied all allegations made against him, while his legal team has said "it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature".

Grace Dent has now been announced as Wallace's replacement on Celebrity MasterChef.

The 51-year-old has been a regular guest on BBC's MasterChef for over a decade and will join Torode in the upcoming series. The award-winning restaurant critic also took part on last year’s MasterChef: Battle of the Critics 2023.

Speaking about her new role, Dent said: "I’ve been watching MasterChef since I was a girl sitting with my dad on the sofa. My whole family watches it.

"It’s all about uncovering and championing talent and to have ended up in this position, is more than a dream to me. I’m so excited that I can’t eat, which is severely detrimental to a restaurant critic.

She added: "I feel very lucky to be stepping in for the next Celebrity MasterChef. I can’t wait to meet the fresh celebrity faces for 2025."