It has been announced that John Torode will not be returning to MasterChef.
This week, it emerged that Torode had been accused of using racist language in the review regarding his former co-host, Gregg Wallace.
The BBC and MasterChef production company Banijay UK have now confirmed that his contract with the cooking series will not be renewed.
A Banijay spokesperson said: ‘In response to John Torode’s statement, it is important to stress that Banijay UK takes this matter incredibly seriously.
‘The legal team at Lewis Silkin that investigated the allegations relating to Gregg Wallace also substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against John Torode which occurred in 2018.
‘This matter has been formally discussed with John Torode by Banijay UK, and whilst we note that John says he does not recall the incident, Lewis Silkin have upheld the very serious complaint.
‘Banijay UK and the BBC are agreed that we will not renew his contract on MasterChef.’
A BBC spokesperson added: ‘John Torode denies the allegation. He has stated he has no recollection of the alleged incident and does not believe that it happened.
‘He also says that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment.
‘The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously. We will not tolerate racist language of any kind and, as we have already said, we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken. John Torode’s contract on MasterChef will not be renewed.’
Torode has not yet commented on this announcement, but yesterday made a statement following the release of the report.
The TV chef said on social media that he was the individual ‘who is alleged to have used racist language on one occasion’, telling fans for the ‘sake of transparency’ after speculation.
He continued: ‘The allegation is that I did so sometime in 2018 or 2019, in a social situation, and that the person I was speaking with did not believe that it was intended in a malicious way and that I apologised immediately afterwards.
‘I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe that it happened. However, I want to be clear that I’ve always had the view that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment.
‘I’m shocked and saddened by the allegation as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence.’
This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
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