Carol Vorderman ‘sacked by TV show after complaining about behaviour like Gregg Wallace’

Carol Vorderman has criticized toxic TV culture, revealing that she was fired from a show after complaining about bad behavior.

The former Countdown presenter warns that the rumor of misconduct against Gregg Wallace is just the tip of the iceberg in a systemic-problem-heavy industry. The 63-year-old said: “It’s about keeping people down, particularly women. And it’s not just Gregg Wallace. This kind of behaviour is widespread, and it’s been happening for years”.

The actress recalls a situation where she was never invited back after complaining about inappropriate behavior on a show. She said: “I’ve made complaints, you may not be surprised to hear, about various people. Well, obviously, I get sacked. However, I can’t remember the show I was on in the past couple of years because I complained about someone and never appeared again. It’s still happening today”.

After being accused of making inappropriate sexual remarks and jokes while filming for 17 years, MasterChef judge Wallace, 60, resigned from the BBC cooking program and canceled his show ten days ago. The former greengrocer later apologized for calling his accusers “a few middle-class women of a certain age.”

It is “entirely false” that he acts in sexually harassing behavior, according to his legal team. Carol, who was 22 when she first appeared on C4’s game show Countdown in 1982, has a reportedly IQ of 154.

She claims to have first-hand knowledge of the ingrained culture of protecting stars while ignoring the mistreatment of those who are beneath them during her long television career. You see this pattern of people speaking up too loudly, she said. If you’re the first one to make a complaint, you’re branded a troublemaker, and it’s incredibly difficult to get heard. Particularly if you’re just starting out, people are afraid to lose their jobs. If you stick your head above the parapet, you risk everything”.

The actress says female colleagues have frequently contacted her for assistance navigating abusive and exploitative practices in the industry because she is acutely aware of the difficulties facing younger women trying to make it in television. She continues, “I get a lot of women in TV who just want to know how to survive.

” I tell them, ‘ You’ve got to play the game, even if it’s not right’. But it’s hard, and it’s not just about sexual harassment. Its culture conceals the truth and keeps women at ease.

Carol is just one of many people who think the industry’s current culture of secrecy and fear needs to be addressed. Richard E. Grant, 67, the actor behind Withnail and I, has also brought attention to the harassment and bullying experienced by young TV runners.

Calling for change, Carol added:” We need unions that protect people, not just the stars. And producers and managers must have the necessary training to effectively manage, not just let things slide because it’s simpler. We need a cultural shift. And to make it happen, we must all stand together.

• Carol’s latest book Now What? On a Mission to Fix Broken Britain is currently available.

Source: Mirror