Gregg Wallace sparks fury after linking his autism to misconduct allegations

Gregg Wallace has faced a backlash after linking claims of misconduct to his recent autism diagnosis. The former MasterChef presenter apologised for his inappropriate humour and language in a social media post.

He went on to mention his recent autism diagnosis, saying it was “suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef”. Wallace, 50, continued: “Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years. That failure is now being quietly buried." His comments have been met by anger from charities, experts and people with autism.

READ MORE: Gregg Wallace 'to sue BBC's MasterChef over alleged autism discrimination' after axe

Oxford University research psychologist Dr Lucy Foulkes said sexually inappropriate comments were not a symptom of autism, and that his comments give autistic people a bad name. She explained: “Difficulties and differences in social interactions and communication are a key feature of autism.

“But it’s things like having difficulties with the typical ‘turn-taking’ of conversation, or not feeling comfortable making neurotypical amounts of eye contact, or having difficulties deciphering hidden and implied meaning from people’s explicit words. Nothing about autism or any neurodivergence explains why a man would make sexually inappropriate comments.”

Jessie Hewitson, Director of NeuroUniverse, made a similar point. She said people with autism “have been stereotyped since the dawn of time” and that such remarks risk sending the false message that they cannot take personal responsibility.

Earlier this week it was revealed Gregg, who'd presented MasterChef for 20 years, had been sacked from the cooking show. It came ahead of a report into his alleged behaviour, which is due out any day. An investigation by BBC News last year reported that 13 people had alleged that Wallace had made inappropriate sexual comments across a number of shows over 17 years. A further 50 more people came forward and made further complaints since, including allegations of touching and groping. Gregg, 60, denies any wrongdoing.

He posted a lengthy on Instagram on Tuesday, in which he claimed the upcoming report cleared him of "the most serious and sensational allegations" made against him.

"I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise without reservation. But I was never the caricature now being sold for clicks," he wrote. “I was hired by the BBC and MasterChef as the cheeky greengrocer. A real person with warmth, character, rough edges and all.”

He went on to reference his recent autism diagnosis - saying it was “suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef.” “Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over twenty years,” he wrote.

In one report this week, a source close to Gregg claimed he couldn’t wear underwear because of his sensory issues. He has been accused of pushing MasterChef crew member on to a sofa and pulling down his trousers, while another claimed he once appeared “completely naked except for a sock pulled over his penis”.

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