Gregg Wallace net worth, TV work, family life as Millwall hooliganism past recalled

MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace has stepped away from the iconic BBC programme following allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

BBC have confirmed an investigation was launched into allegations of misconduct. It comes after allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period.

A statement read: "This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows. Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate.

"While this review is under way, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully co-operating throughout the process. Banijay UK's duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.

"Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately. If anyone would like to talk to us or raise any issues or concerns, then they can contact speakupbanijayuk.com in confidence."

Kirsty Wark, the former Newsnight present is among the BBC News complaints after alleging that Wallace made jokes of a 'sexualised nature' during her time on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011. Wark claimed Wallace had twice made inappropriate sexualised comments in front of contestants and crew.

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Despite BBC News saying it has been informed of further claims against the TV show host, Wallace's legal team have denied the allegations. "It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature", as reported by BBC News. On Thursday, it was announced that Wallace is "committed to fully co-operating" with an external review by MasterChef's production company, Banijay UK.

Here, football.london has taken a look at Wallace's life away from the screens.

TV work

Wallace began his TV career in the Covent Garden fruit and vegetable market. In 1989, he started George Allan's Greengrocers and went on to present many shows over the years, including Veg Talk on BBC Radio 4 with Charlie Hicks.

Since becoming the presenter for BBC show Saturday Kitchen in 2002, he went on to feature on Eat Well for Less, Inside the Factory, Turn Back Time, Harvest and Supermarket Secrets.

The 60-year-old also participated in Strictly Come Dancing in 2014 but was the first candidate to be eliminated from the show along with his professional dance partner Aliona Vilani. Wallace also hosted Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals while also regularly writing for food magazines.

Over the last couple of years, he focussed on his fitness journey and still documents his training on social media. This comes after he was told by a doctor that he was 'heading for a heart attack', thanks to high cholesterol.

Net worth

Wallace is reportedly worth about £5million, according to the Sun. His fortune has mostly been built around his work on MasterChef and other television work such as Inside the Factory.

George Allan's Greengrocers also grew into a multi-million pound operation, having reportedly turned over £7.5m. In 2017, Wallace bought a £1million farmhouse in Biddenden, a village in the borough of Ashford in Kent.

The farm has a five-acre estate and its own stables and pond. Prior to his move, he lived in Whitstable, the north coast of Kent.

Family

From a previous relationship, Wallace has two children, Tom and Libby. He welcomed his third child called Sid in 2019 with his fourth wife Anne-Marie Sterpini - whom he married in 2016.

Despite their 21-year age gap, Ms Sterpini said age is 'just a number' during an appearance on ITV show Lorraine. The pair wrote 'Gregg's Italian Family Cookbook' which was published in 2019.

Three years later, the TV star was made an MBE after being recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to food and charity. Last year, he revealed he needed to focus on his son who is non-verbal and autistic and therefore, stopped presenting 'Inside the Factory' after seven years.

Football hooligan history and arrests

Speaking about his love for Millwall, Wallace told Zoo magazine in 2008: "I was brought up in Peckham and went to Millwall regularly. Some of my friends from school grew up to be hooligans. Millwall had a fierce reputation at the time, which was well deserved.

"They had a large percentage of people that were able to cause havoc! I got arrested for assault when I was 20… but my Millwall days are long behind me. I was a product of my area. Police were making hundreds of arrests at every home game back then. Getting nicked was like a social pastime!"

Special Millwall tattoo

While his hooligan days are behind him, Wallace remains a fan of the Lions. So much so that he has a large tattoo of the club's lion crest on his chest.