Penny Lancaster has said she felt ‘ashamed and belittled’ by Gregg Wallace when she appeared on Celebrity MasterChef.
The model and TV personality, who is the wife of singer Sir Rod Stewart, said she did not feel she was supported by production company Banijay UK during her 2021 appearance on the show.
She told Sky News’ The UK Tonight With Sarah-Jane Mee programme that she ‘didn’t feel like she was supported in that moment.’
‘I felt ashamed and belittled by the way Gregg Wallace had treated me, but equally I felt disappointed that the production company hadn’t come to my rescue,’ she continued.
Lancaster added: ‘There is a long way to go, but just by people coming forward and being honest about their experiences, I think will help in the long term.’
Sir Rod previously criticised Wallace on Instagram and claimed he ‘humiliated’ his wife when she was on the show.
In November 2024, he wrote: ‘Good riddance Wallace… You humiliated my wife when she was on the show, but you had that bit cut out didn’t you?
‘You’re a tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully. Karma got ya. Sir Rod Stewart.’
Last week, Lancaster detailed an alleged incident with Wallace that left her ‘shaking and in tears.’
In her memoir – Someone Like Me, Penny – an extract seen by The Sun reveals that the host stole a flower from her dish in an incident she felt was a ‘power-play.’
‘Normally, Wallace wandered around the studio with a stuck-on smile, but all I could see now was a thunderous stare.
‘Then he marched over to my station with my tray and slammed it down. “I’m the judge and I make all the decisions”, he said menacingly, before heading back.’
She added that he gave it back to her, but dropped it, so she was forced to bend over and pick it up.
‘He stared at me, reached into his pocket, took out the orchid, and dropped it on the floor in front of him. “There you go, there’s your flower,” he snapped.
‘Thinking about it now, I wonder why I bent down and picked it up. It was such a demeaning position to be placed in, as if his behaviour was part of a massive power-play.’
She added that it left her ‘shaking’ and she left the studio ‘in tears’ without anyone from the production team – including John Torode – coming out to find her to speak about the incident.
Wallace, 60, was sacked in July after an investigation into historical allegations of misconduct upheld multiple accusations against him.
The former greengrocer, who began co-presenting the show in 2005, said following the investigation he was ‘deeply sorry for any distress caused’ and that he ‘never set out to harm or humiliate’ in the wake of the probe, which also upheld one allegation of ‘unwelcome physical contact.’
Wallace has since filed a High Court legal claim against the BBC following his sacking, court records show.
Metro has contacted representatives for Gregg Wallace and Banijay UK for comment
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