Fired “Master Chef” blames autism - inappropriate behavior

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Gregg Wallace is expected to tell independent investigators that his sexually inappropriate behaviour could be linked to undiagnosed autism.

Friends of the MasterChef presenter are convinced that he suffers from a neurodiversity condition that explains his behaviour.

Banijay, the production company that makes the programme, announced last week that it was launching an investigation into complaints made against Wallace over his behaviour on the show. A law firm is conducting the inquiry.

The Telegraph understands that there is little chance of Wallace returning to the BBC, with corporation bosses alarmed by the deluge of complaints.

But Wallace, 60, is desperate to salvage his shredded reputation, and the investigation’s findings are critical if he wants to carry on working in broadcasting.

He is likely to raise the possibility he has autism with Lewis Silkin, the London law firm hired by Banijay. Friends said they were also planning to tell the lawyers the same thing in support of his case.

One source said: “We think Gregg has an undiagnosed condition, probably autism. If you look at symptoms of autism, he seems to fit those. The symptoms fit him. He tells inappropriate jokes, but it’s never been malicious. He just doesn’t understand that sometimes the jokes he tells just aren’t funny.”

One friend said: “It’s clear to me he probably has to work with a level of neurodiversity.”

A source said: “Many people close to him have over the years suggested he exhibits characteristics associated with autism spectrum disorder.”

Friends point to his obsessive behaviour, which includes an hour-by-hour weekend schedule, first disclosed in February and mocked at the time. They have also dug out official studies suggesting that inappropriate behaviour, including making sexual remarks, could be a sign of autism.

They point out that Wallace’s four-year-old son has been diagnosed with autism. Studies have shown a majority of autism cases are linked to inherited genes and tend to run in families. Sources suggested Wallace had not been keen to get an official diagnosis due to a sense of guilt at having possibly passed autism to his son, who is also non-verbal.

Dr Fiona Gullon-Scott, an autism expert and senior lecturer in clinical psychology at Newcastle University, said she had wondered if Wallace may have undiagnosed autism after seeing his extraordinary claim posted online that only “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age” had made complaints against him.

The comments were widely condemned and later withdrawn by Wallace, who said he had been under a “huge amount of stress”.

Dr Gullon-Scott said: “There are many undiagnosed autistic adults, particularly middle-aged and older, because our understanding of autism was far more limited 30 to 40 years ago than it is now. Those adults have often experienced a lifetime of being misunderstood, often disliked, sometimes misdiagnosed with other conditions.

As a clinician and psychologist, when I see someone behave in a way that makes others comment ‘Why would anyone do/say that?’ I often find myself wondering whether – rather than the assumption of rudeness or intent or malice – this may be a person with an undiagnosed difference.”

Concerns over Wallace’s behaviour stemmed in part from a four-month investigation by The Telegraph and another by the BBC. At least 13 women have made complaints about the presenter’s behaviour.

Wallace has denied behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.

Gregg Wallace has landed a partnership with an autism charity after being accused of using his condition as an “excuse”.

The 60-year-old was axed from MasterChef in November 2024 amid numerous allegations of inappropriate conduct in the workplace.

After 45 out of 83 allegations of inappropriate behaviour were upheld, the host his late autism diagnosis means he “struggles to read people” and is “still learning”.

Wallace was dropped as an ambassador of the charity Ambitious About Autism and another charity, Neurodiversity in Business, said autism is “not a free pass for bad behaviour”.

Now, he is being lined up as a patron of Disability Advice and Welfare Network (DAWN).

Boss Annie Sands said Wallace’s investigation report “screams neurodiversity” and the former greengrocer “deserves support”.


“People were attacking him and saying he was using his autism as an excuse. I heard someone say ‘autistic people don’t make inappropriate remarks,’” she told The Mirror.

“Well, that’s a ridiculous thing to say. Come and work with us for a week, you’ll hear a lot worse than that. Each autistic person presents differently.”

Sands, 63, who was also diagnosed with autism later in life, went on: “I’ve seen Gregg’s autism report and it screams neurodiversity.

“We help all those who come to us, everybody deserves support. For me it’s about putting Gregg Wallace the celebrity to one side and working with Gregg Wallace the autistic person.”

Wallace said Sands has been a “pillar of strength” for him during a “very dark time”.

The presenter added that he has “learned so much” about his autism and that Sands’ advice has helped him “make sense” of his condition.

An independent review into Wallace’s behaviour found that the “majority” of the upheld allegations related to “inappropriate sexual language and humour”.

A “smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated”, with “one incident of unwelcome physical contact” also substantiated.

The report noted that during the course of the investigation, which was over a seven-month period, Wallace was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and said that the findings should be viewed in the context of his neurodiversity.

Wallace apologised for any “hurt or distress caused” and later said he is not a “groper,” “flasher,” or “sex pest”.

“I’m not a groper. People think I’ve been taking my trousers down and exposing myself – I am not a flasher,” he told The Sun last week.

“People think I’m a sex pest. I am not.”

Wallace also said his recent autism diagnosis means he struggles “to read people”.

“I know people find me weird. Autism is a disability, a registered disability,” he said.

TV star Gregg Wallace says his lawyers believe he is the victim of a “terrible injustice” as his legal fight with the BBC hots up. The star is suing the Corporation in the wake of his Masterchef sacking for access to their unredacted copies of his personal data.

It could pave the way for a separate, full-blown claim against the BBC, which is likely to focus on his autism. And speaking this week, Wallace said: “There is a legal team around me now and I can’t say too much. They have picked it up and gone: ‘this is a terrible injustice. A terrible, terrible injustice.”

Wallace added: “They are saying: ‘here’s an investigation that says you're not groping, you're definitely not flashing, you're not sexually harassing, you're not bullying anybody. So why are you in this position and who is responsible for it?’”

Wallace’s dismissal followed a report that upheld more than 40 allegations about his conduct on MasterChef, including one of unwelcome physical contact and three of being in a state of undress. He has since submitted a claim at the High Court claiming up to £10,000 in damages from the BBC for allegedly causing him "distress and harassment". Wallace claims the broadcaster failed to comply with his request for copies of his personal data related to "his work, contractual relations and conduct" after sacking him in July. He could launch a second action regarding his sacking which centres on his autism diagnosis, which he was diagnosed with at the beginning of last year.

Speaking to fans online, Gregg opened up about how his autism influenced his behaviour while working on Masterchef and other BBC shows. He pointed to the fact that the independent report into Masterchef concluded that his autism diagnosis was “highly relevant” and how he used humour to mask his condition. And he claimed that the highly-charged atmosphere in TV studios - coupled with his autism - led to him “tripping up.”

“My job was to be energized and excitable….and when we would go into the studio, first thing in the morning, the directors would whip you up,” he explains.

“They go, ‘you do it again. Give it some energy. Come on. You're going into a quarterfinal. This is big.’ And they would hype you up, because that's the energy they wanted.” They would let you loose and you are not scripted so your chances of tripping up and saying something inappropriate is really high.” He added: “When you say something funny, people around you are laughing, like the cameramen and the directors, and so you think it's okay, but what you don't expect is someone to come back 12 years later and go, 'Well, he mentioned this and it was rude.'”


He added: “Nobody around me complained at the time, and there was no complaint after 2018 so can you see the dilemma I was facing there……nobody at the time told me it was wrong. In fact, they kept giving me more TV shows to do." He said the atmosphere was totally different to a usual work environment, adding “You're being hyped up by the directors to be in a heightened state of energy.”

Wallace has previously complained nothing was done to investigate his “neurodiversity” while he was on MasterChef, which he hosted from 2005. Under the 2010 Equalities Act, employers must protect those with disabilities, including autism.

Dan Harris, who runs the charity Neurodiversity in Business and is himself autistic, said people like him "may miss social cues sometimes".

"But autism is not a free pass for bad behaviour," he told the BBC.

"Comments like this stigmatise us and add an unfortunate negative focus on our community."