'Upset' Gregg Wallace breaks silence on claim he quit show after 'offending' colleagues
MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace has been left "upset" by claims he quit BBC's Inside The Factory after "offending female staff" with jokes about "weight".
While Gregg said he left the show to care for his autistic son, reports claimed he stepped down after he was “rude” to his colleagues.
A source told The Times: “He was rude towards staff and continued to talk in a derogatory manner, especially to women.”
Since then, the former greengrocer has addressed the claims.
He told the same publication: "I've enjoyed doing [Inside the Factory] for a number of years and I've done hundreds of factories.
“I use humour to relax people. It's a tool I've used for lots of years. I never, ever set out to upset or offend anybody and I never would.
“It makes me upset that I might have upset people."
In the interview, he also touched on his success as a presenter but accepted that times had changed and certain things could be controversial.
He continued: "Things change, they evolve. So they should. We should be more careful.
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“All I would say is perhaps we need to draw a line between people that are bullies or nasty people and people that have made a mistake. Perhaps."
Gregg confirmed once more that his main priority is his four-year-old son who he shares with his wife Anne-Marie Sterpini, 37.
Last year, Sid was diagnosed with autism and is currently non-verbal.
The father-of-three revealed that he had struggled to find an EHCP (an education, health and care plan) from the local council and a specialist school.
Confirming his departure from the BBC show to Gaby Roslin on BBC Radio London, Gregg said: "You’ve got a little boy who’s cuddly and happy and naughty, like any little boy would be, but he can’t speak, he can’t talk to you, so he gets frustrated because he finds it difficult to tell you what exactly it is he needs.
"Right now, we need to find education for him and I can’t just leave that to Anna – that’s a big, big decision."
Gregg continues to post updates about his son on social media for his 166,000 followers.
In response, many fans support the family regularly commenting: “So cute” and “gorgeous boy”.