John Torode breaks silence on Gregg Wallace hours after BBC axes Masterchef Christmas specialVarious

Masterchef presenter John Torode breaks silence on Gregg Wallace allegations - ‘The thought of anyone who has appeared on our show not having a brilliant experience is awful to hear’

Torode has presented the BBC One cooking show alongside Wallace since 2005. He wrote on Instagram that he found the recent reports "truly upsetting", adding that the "thought of anyone who has appeared on our show not having a brilliant experience is awful to hear".

Lloyd Grossman fronted the show for 10 years until it was moved from BBC One to BBC Two when Gary Rhodes took the helm

The BBC is pulling its MasterChef Christmas after presenter Gregg Wallace was accused of inappropriate sexual comments. The corporation had said on Monday that all MasterChef episodes that had already been filmed would be aired as planned, including the festive editions.

MasterChef star John Torode has shared a statement on social media for the first time since his fellow judge Gregg Wallace quit the BBC show amid sexual misconduct claims

The British government’s culture secretary has held talks with the BBC as the broadcaster comes under growing scrutiny after one of its TV hosts drew an angry backlash for dismissing sexual misconduct

The BBC has confirmed it’s pulling two MasterChef Christmas specials that were due to air over the festive period.

Gregg Wallace has apologised for saying allegations of inappropriate behaviour were made by “middle-class women of a certain age”, claiming he felt “under siege”. Wallace said in a video posted on Instagram that he was “not in a good place” and he is “under a lot of stress”.