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MasterChef star Gregg Wallace denies ‘sexual’ comments after BBC probe | Ents & Arts News

Gregg Wallace says he did not say “anything sexual” while appearing on a BBC game show more than half a decade ago.

The 59-year-old MasterChef UK judge was responding to reports that there was an alleged incident in 2018 when he appeared on Impossible Celebrities, which was investigated by the BBC.

Wallace and Anne-Marie Sterpini in 2014
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Wallace and Anne-Marie Sterpini in 2014. Pic: PA

The Saturday night quiz show, hosted by Rick Edwards, ran for eight series between 2017 and 2021.

The BBC’s review found he could continue working at the corporation, The Sun newspaper reported.

In an Instagram story following the front-page story on Monday, Wallace said: “The story that’s hitting the newspapers this morning was investigated promptly when it happened six years ago by the BBC.

“And the outcome of that was that I hadn’t said anything sexual. I’ll need to repeat this again. I didn’t say anything sexual.”

Wallace presented Inside The Factory for BBC Two from 2015 to 2023, when he stepped away and said he wanted to focus on taking care of his autistic and non-verbal son, Sid, who he shares with his wife, 39-year-old caterer Anne-Marie Sterpini.

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The couple married in 2016 in Haver Castle in Kent with MasterChef co-presenter John Torode as best man, after meeting three years earlier on Twitter when she asked him his opinion on pairing duck with rhubarb.

In a second short video, the former greengrocer said: “Despite what the newspapers are suggesting, nobody six years ago accused me of flirting with anybody or hitting on anybody.

“And the reason I say this is because of my wife Anna. I have always been true to my wife Anna and have never flirted or hit on anybody in the 12 years that I met her and fell in love with her.

“And it’s important that – so that people don’t misunderstand that – that I am true to my wife.”

Undated BBC Handout Photo from MasterChef Ð Series 16. Pictured: (L-R) John Torode and Gregg Wallace. PA Feature SHOWBIZ TV MasterChef. Picture credit should read: PA Photo/BBC/Shine TV. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature SHOWBIZ TV MasterChef. WARNING: Use of this copyright image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' Digital Picture Service (BBC Pictures) as set out at www.bbcpictures.co.uk. In particular, this image may only be published by a registered U
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Wallace (right) with MasterChef co-host John Torode. Pic: PA

A BBC spokesman said: “Whilst we do not comment on individuals, if issues are raised they are dealt with swiftly and appropriately at the time.

“We do not tolerate any form of inappropriate behaviour and have robust processes in place.”

The BBC’s been treading on eggshells of late, with complaints about welfare checks for contestants on Strictly Come Dancing, and the sacking of One Show presenter Jermaine Jenas, after he admitted sending inappropriate messages to female colleagues.

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Wallace, who has been married four times, has two children, Tom and Libby, from a former relationship.

In 2019, he co-wrote Gregg’s Italian Family Cookbook with his current wife Anna, who is a caterer.

Wallace has featured on various BBC shows over the years, including Saturday Kitchen, Eat Well For Less, Supermarket Secrets, Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals, as well as being a Strictly Come Dancing contestant in 2014.

He was made an MBE for services to food and charity last year.

Sky News has contacted Wallace for further comment.

Defence secretary Ben Wallace to stand down at next election | Politics News

Defence secretary Ben Wallace has revealed he will step down from his post at the next reshuffle and quit as an MP at the next election.

Mr Wallace, the longest-serving Conservative to head the Ministry of Defence, said in an interview with The Times: “I’m not standing next time.”

He added that he will not force a by-election by resigning “prematurely” – as fellow allies of Boris Johnson have done.

Mr Wallace further confirmed he would leave the cabinet at the next reshuffle, which the prime minister is expected to hold this September.

Sky News reported that he was considering the move on Saturday.

“I went into politics in the Scottish parliament in 1999. That’s 24 years. I’ve spent well over seven years with three phones by my bed,” he told The Times.

When asked what the devices were for, he replied: “Secret, secret and secret.”

Read more:
Why Ben Wallace’s days were numbered – analysis

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Wagner troops cross border to Belarus, says Kyiv

It comes following controversy last week when the defence secretary told a NATO summit press conference that the UK was not an “Amazon” delivery service for weapons to Ukraine.

He also said Kyiv might be wise to let its supporters “see gratitude”.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak later pushed back against the comments, saying Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had “expressed his gratitude for what we’ve done on a number of occasions”.

Mr Zelenskyy, speaking at the same event in Lithuania, also responded: “I believe that we were always grateful to the UK.”

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PM quizzed on Ukraine gratitude

Following the news of his departure on Saturday evening, Mr Wallace took to Twitter in an attempt to clarify his “Amazon” comments.

In a series of tweets posted in Ukrainian, he said his remarks were “somewhat misinterpreted”.

“I said that Ukraine sometimes needs to realise that in many countries and in some parliaments there is not such strong support as in Great Britain,” he wrote.

“It was a comment not about governments, but more about citizens and members of parliaments.”

He added that he meant to say Britain’s relationship with Ukraine is not “transactional” but more of a “partnership”.

Speculation about the defence secretary’s fate has been mounting for weeks, with officials inside the Ministry of Defence wondering who might replace him.

It also comes following a failed UK bid to make Mr Wallace the next head of NATO.

The 53-year-old last month ruled himself out of the race to replace Jens Stoltenberg after apparently failing to get the backing of the US.

Mr Wallace told The Times that a desire to spend more time with his family, including his three children, was one of his reasons for leaving politics.

Read more on Sky News:
Johnson calls for NATO timetable for Ukraine to join alliance
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Asked what he would do next, he replied: “I’m quite happy to go and work at a bar,” or “just do something completely different.”

Wallace’s career in the corridors of power came after he left school at the age of eighteen – before a “short stint” as a ski instructor in Austria.

He then served as a captain in the Scots Guards and worked in the aerospace industry before entering politics in 1999.

Mr Wallace was once tipped as a potential candidate for Tory leader and prime minister.

But he ruled himself out of the race to replace Boris Johnson last summer and instead backed eventual winner Liz Truss.

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‘UK missiles have been used in Ukraine’

He then said he would not stand in the contest to replace her and revealed he was “leaning towards” backing a return by Mr Johnson to the post.

Mr Wallace had been facing the prospect of effectively losing his constituency of Wyre and Preston North at the next general election under boundary changes – meaning he would have needed to stand in another seat to remain as an MP.

The MP also revealed in his interview with The Times that, on the eve of the war in Ukraine, he discussed Britain supplying weapons to Kyiv – using whiskies as a code.

Referring to secret talks with his counterpart Oleksii Reznikov, he said: “the Nlaw [anti-tank missile] was Glenfiddich and Harpoon anti-ship missiles were Islay.

“I would text him saying ‘I’ve got some whisky for you’ or ‘the whisky is on its way’. We just picked codewords, minister to minister.”

Ben Wallace ‘considering resigning’ as defence secretary in expected autumn reshuffle | Politics News

Ben Wallace – the longest-serving Conservative defence secretary – is considering leaving government in an anticipated autumn reshuffle, Sky News understands.

It follows a failed UK bid to make Mr Wallace, 53, the next head of NATO and as the prime minister reportedly prepares to refresh his top team ahead of next year’s election.

The possible departure of the defence secretary – a close ally of former prime minister Boris Johnson – was first revealed by The Times.

A source told Sky News that Mr Wallace would likely make a decision on whether to stay or go next month. If he chooses to leave then he would also stand down as an MP.

It is thought that any such move would be a personal decision and nothing to do with Rishi Sunak or any issues related to the Conservative Party.

Speculation about the defence secretary’s fate has been mounting for weeks, with officials inside the Ministry of Defence wondering who might replace him.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, a foreign office minister and former defence minister, Tom Tugendhat, the security minister, and Jeremy Quinn, a cabinet office minister who is also a former defence minister, are among the names being speculated on.

“Not sure who will replace (him) but Jeremy Quinn a strong possibility,” one source said.

The Times said John Glen, chief secretary to the Treasury, was the frontrunner.

Hugely popular within the party, Mr Wallace is the longest, continuously-serving minister in government, having survived five prime ministers since 2014, including as security minister and then – for the past four years – overseeing the Ministry of Defence.

In his current role, he has been a leading voice pushing the UK and its allies to do ever more to support Ukraine.

Mr Wallace is also known for speaking his mind and using colourful language that has on occasion generated unfortunate headlines.

It happened at a major NATO summit this week when he revealed to a group of journalists that he had told Ukraine the UK was not an “Amazon” delivery service for weapons and that people “want to see gratitude”.

It prompted Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, to say in a press conference at the summit in Lithuania: “I believe that we were always grateful to the UK.”

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Zelenskyy has ‘expressed gratitude’, Sunak says

Mr Zelenskyy then, rather comically, asked his defence minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, who was sitting in the audience, whether there was a problem with his relationship with Mr Wallace.

“Why don’t you extend words of gratitude to him?” the president said. Breaking into English, he added: “Call him, please, today.”

Yet, the point Mr Wallace had been trying to make had been a valid one – a bit of friendly advice to a country he respects about the need to consider the political reality in certain nations where not everyone is supportive of giving more weapons and money to Ukraine.

The defence secretary has spent much of his time in office battling for more funding for the armed forces at a time of growing threats and after decades of cost-saving cuts.

Read more politics news
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Ben Wallace is said to be considering resigning as defence secretary. Pic: AP
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Mr Wallace is the longest, continuously-serving minister in government. Pic: AP

This has on occasion created tensions with Mr Sunak, first when he was chancellor and then as prime minister.

The two men are not known to have a close relationship but the strong support for Mr Wallace within the Conservative Party will make him difficult to sack.

The defence secretary turned down the chance to run for prime minister last year even though he had been the clear favourite to replace Mr Johnson.

Another consideration for Mr Wallace is the fact that he will effectively lose his constituency of Wyre and Preston North at the general election under boundary changes.

It means, to stay on as an MP, he would need to become the Tory candidate in another seat – which could be done should he choose to stay.

Ben Wallace: Defence secretary orders audit of military flying training as RAF leadership in ‘tailspin’ over leaks | UK News

The defence secretary has ordered an internal inspection of the UK’s military flying training after Sky News revealed the system to generate RAF pilots is in crisis, it can be revealed.

The move by Ben Wallace is an embarrassing blow for Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, the head of the Royal Air Force (RAF), a defence source said.

Mr Wallace gave his chief of the air staff the task of fixing the RAF’s problem-plagued flying training pipeline as his only priority more than two and a half years ago.

However, leaked documents exposed by Sky News last Friday showed that nearly 350 trainee pilots – more than half of the total pool of RAF, Royal Navy and army trainee aviators – were in limbo as of May.

They are either holding for a slot on a flying training course to open-up or taking a refresher course.

The Royal Air Force's Typhoon Eurofighter jets are made by BAE Systems

It can also be revealed that these so-called “holdies” have effectively been warned the leaking of the documents that shed light on their predicament might even worsen their situation rather than improve it.

A message, which has since been seen by Sky News, was distributed widely throughout the RAF, warning against leaking information to the media.

RAF leadership in ‘tailspin’ over leaks

The author of the official-sounding note said they suspected Air Chief Marshal Wigston and the rest of the senior RAF leadership “are in a total tailspin about this”.

“They will feel let down and disappointed,” the note said.

“They will now be less likely to view the student cohort’s predicament favourably, too.

“Would you, in their position. The military is all about trust, if you betray that knowingly by leaking reams of official information (it’s not exactly a small slip-up in a personal post on social media!), then you can expect that betrayal will have consequences.”

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson confirmed Mr Wallace had instigated the internal inspection, known as a Defence Operational Capability (DOC) audit.

“At the direction of the defence secretary, the MOD is conducting an internal audit of flying training, in recognition of continued challenges with the training pipeline.”

The scope of the audit is still being defined, it is understood.

Four Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4 have arrived at RAF Akrotiri after transiting from the UK. UK’s substantial contribution to NATO’s uplift in Eastern Europe is strengthening the Alliance’s Defences on land, sea and air, amid ongoing tensions with Russia. Issue date: Wednesday February 16, 2022.

Hundreds of DOC audits taken place in 30 years

The DOC mechanism was set up in 1995 when Malcolm Rifkind was defence secretary.

It is a tool a defence secretary can use to secure what is meant to be impartial analysis on a topic.

The team of personnel that conduct the audit will sit outside the chain of command of whatever is being inspected, giving it more independence.

Some 220 audits of various issues have taken place over the past nearly three decades.

On flying training, the MOD has already acknowledged that there are challenges to the training pipeline and said that the number of pilots being held now is less than in 2019.

The length of the holding time for trainees can vary from months to even years.

The reasons for the delays are multiple, including most recently a fault with the Rolls Royce-made engine on the Hawk aircraft used to train fast jet pilots.

Four Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4 have arrived at RAF Akrotiri after transiting from the UK. UK’s substantial contribution to NATO’s uplift in Eastern Europe is strengthening the Alliance’s Defences on land, sea and air, amid ongoing tensions with Russia. Issue date: Wednesday February 16, 2022.

Ukraine war has put pressure on RAF pilots

Demands on the RAF to fly more missions to defend NATO allies in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine also put pressure on the small pool of pilots that are qualified to fly operationally and to instruct trainees.

In addition, a sweeping review of defence last year made changes to the types of aircraft needed on the frontline, which has reduced the number of places available for trainee pilots.

More broadly, pilot training has been under chronic strain since the mid-1990s as successive governments repeatedly cut chunks out of the size of the armed forces, including the RAF, and contracted out large parts of the flying training system to industry.

Under pressure from the Treasury to make as many efficiency savings as possible, the RAF then designed its contractor-run flying training pipeline to meet a minimal requirement rather than include spare capacity to be able to absorb shocks if things go wrong.