Category Entertainment News

Gregg Wallace yesterday broke his silence after being his dismissal from Masterchef — but the shamed presenter insisted innuendos on the show were “no worse than Bake Off”

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Fired Masterchef host Gregg Wallace has admitted he said the slur that led to his dismissal was “stupid, defensive, and arrogant”.

Breaking his silence following the sacking, Wallace, 61, apologised for his behaviour — but stressed innuendos on Masterchef were “no worse than Bake Off,” referencing the popular Channel 4 show The Great British Bake Off.

Wallace maintained it was never his “intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable” and now understands why participants may have hesitated to challenge his conduct at the time, worried it might jeopardise their prospects of winning his programme. He lost his job on the BBC programme in July last year amid claims of inappropriate sexual behaviour and inappropriate sexual comments, allegations he strongly denies.

But his apology yesterday was lengthy and widely read and shared on Instagram. In it, the entrepreneur, raised in Peckham, southeast London, said he had been “stupid, defensive and arrogant”.

READ MORE: John Torode’s message for his MasterChef replacement Grace Dent as he slams ‘cult’READ MORE: Gregg Wallace says he is victim of ‘terrible injustice’ as he takes fight to the BBC

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The apology in full reads: “Let’s start with the one thing I can say, without any doubt, that I got completely wrong. When the media first reported the allegations made against me, I went on social media and dismissed the people making complaints as ‘middle-class women of a certain age.

“It was a stupid, defensive, and arrogant thing to say. I felt like I was being backed into a corner, and I lashed out. There’s no excuse for it. It was hurtful and wrong. It’s not what I truly believe, and I’m sorry for what I said.

“In that moment, I failed to listen, reflect, and respect. I’ve learned from that post that when you’re under fire, the first thing you should do is listen, not talk.

“I’ve been doing a lot more of that over the past year, and as I work to move on with my life following last year’s investigation and my subsequent dismissal, I find it increasingly important to share my truth.”

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The father of three went on: “That feeling of being backed into a corner was a reaction to a situation I still cannot fully comprehend. For twenty years, I presented as that loud, cheeky greengrocer off the telly.

“It was a persona I adopted for the boisterous workplace environment, full of bawdy humour. I’ve always loved a bit of banter and a bit of a laugh, so I felt like I was fitting in on set, matching the culture that was engineered from the top down.

“First thing in the morning, the directors would whip us up with energy and excitement, a sentiment it was my job to reflect. They’d hype you up because that’s what they wanted for the show. You’re unscripted, you’re bouncing off the walls, and you’re all trying to make each other laugh.

Discussing the humour on the MasterChef set, Wallace insisting the “colourful” language and jokes were akin to those on Bake Off. He added: “We’d make jokes you’d see on any episode of Bake Off, suggestive comments like the ones that regularly show up on The 1% Club. I would bring real high energy into that studio.

“And yes, many of the jokes were sexual. I relied on innuendo quite heavily. Food is full of innuendo. Spotted dick, nuts, the rim of a glass, little tarts… We leaned into it.

“All of us. I’d see cameramen making phallic shapes out of leftover ingredients on the bench. I’d join in conversations about sex and relationships because that’s what everyone in the studio was talking about.

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“I wasn’t a lone wolf making crude comments in a silent office; I was part of an ensemble that was noisy, energetic, and yes, sometimes crude. That was the job. That was the culture. I behaved the way I thought was expected of me. My intent was always to participate appropriately, and I believed I was doing so.

“My job was to put contestants at ease and to get the lines production needed for the edit. I did it the only way I knew how: trying to make people feel like part of the group.

“I thought it was working. I genuinely thought everyone thought it was hilarious. I saw the people around me making these jokes and assumed they were a normal, encouraged part of workplace behaviour, and that when I did it, it would be perceived the same way.

Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden stars in property renovation show Amanda And Alan’s Greek Job with comedian Alan Carr, who won The Celebrity Traitors in November last year

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Shrewd Amanda Holden knew Alan Carr did well on The Celebrity Traitors before he told her — because she didn’t hear from him for two weeks.

The Britain’s Got Talent judge sussed her close friend’s success when Alan, 49, did not call her during the production of the show. The comedian usually rings Amanda every day so the actress quickly became suspicious during the spring, when filming took place at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands.

Alan went on to win The Celebrity Traitors but, though he wasn’t allowed to tell anyone, Amanda, 54, had a hunch he at least “did well” on the programme. Speaking yesterday, she said: “I knew he must have done well because I didn’t speak to him for two weeks, normally we speak every day.

“He’s been around for so long, but everyone’s suddenly like, ‘Oh, I love Alan Carr’, and I think, ‘How is he a new thing to you? He’s always been this brilliant’.”

READ MORE: Alan Carr fans are all saying the same thing after his and Amanda Holden’s Greek JobREAD MORE: Simon Cowell’s new TV show branded ‘big two fingers up to ITV’ over The X Factor

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Mother-of-three Amanda added: “My daughter Holly, who’s always loved him, said to me, ‘Everyone’s asking me about Alan’, and I say to them, ‘You’ve met Alan, he was in the back garden at our party, and you weren’t bothered about him then’.

“Alan’s literally brought them a cup of tea in bed or been on holiday with them. But now they’re really into him, it’s brought a whole new generation because of all the TikToks and the memes, which is lovely.”

Alan recently said Amanda, who was in popular drama Wild at Heart, would be “great” on The Celebrity Traitors. Amanda hinted she would want to be a traitor if she was going to do the programme, which airs on the BBC.

Alan himself was a traitor and fooled faithfuls comedian Nick Mohammed and TV historian David Olusoga in the show’s final moments. The TV presenter took home the £87,500 prize pot for cancer charity Neuroblastoma UK, in the first series of the British celebrity version of the show, which broadcast late last year.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Amanda reflected on the series and Alan’s triumph. The star, who was been a judge on Britain’s Got Talent since it began in 2007, continued: “I do love the cloak, I think I’d look like the woman from the Scottish Widows advert if I could customise it with a red lip.

Indiyah Polack and Dami Hope reached the final of Love Island in 2022, and had been in a relationship since — but now Indiyah, from London, and Dami have said things are over

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Indiyah Polack and Dami Hope had seemed like “the real deal” months before the split, according to a witness at an event.

The couple, who came third on Love Island in 2022, wowed fans at an influencer brand deal, to which other celebrities attended. Molly Clayton, who was present at the London event arranged in collaboration with activewear brand Gymshark, noted how the “energy in the room shifted” when Indiyah and Dami arrived.

Writing a piece about this encounter, journalist Molly said: “Dressed head-to-toe in Gymshark, the couple were immediately handed drinks, microphones and attention. They never let go of each other. Hands intertwined, pressed together, they thanked the room, Gymshark, and then most notably, each other.

“For anyone who had watched their story unfold on television two summers earlier, it felt like confirmation that this was the real deal and indeed, that Love Island really could produce happy couples.”

READ MORE: Love Island costing ITV huge amount every hour as show postponed amid wildfiresREAD MORE: Love Island’s Lochan Nowacki rushed to hospital after grim injury

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Indiyah and Dami posed for photographs and kissed at the event at the Gymshark branch on Regent Street in central London. The couple laughed between shots and then worked the room, according to the Daily Mail.

Molly continued: “[They] laughed between shots and then worked the room like pros: dancing, mingling and competing on the dance mats — but always within arm’s reach of one another. At one point, Dami was pouring shots into Indiyah’s mouth.”

But it emerged on the weekend Indiyah had since cheated on her man. The media personality, who is from London, apologised in a heartfelt statement on Instagram — but the 27-year-old woman no longer follows Dami on the social media app. Dami, who is a Youtube star, called the behaviour a “breach of trust”.

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The picture contrasts hugely to the cosy scenes witnessed at the Gymshark event. Molly’s piece reads: “The two-storey space had been transformed into a shrine to ‘Damiyah’ – a nickname the couple earned during their Love Island days – with floor-to-ceiling images of the couple looking effortlessly cool and deeply in love.

“The collection itself, graphic T-shirts launched to coincide with the Notting Hill Carnival weekend, was pitched as a celebration of individuality, culture and movement.”

A representative for Dami said: “The relationship ended due to a breach of trust and they are no longer together.” Meanwhile, a source told the Daily Mail: “Indiyah and Dami have sadly decided to part ways after three years together. It’s been a difficult time for them both, they built their lives together, and no one expected their relationship to end so suddenly.

“They have no plans to enter the Love Island: All Stars villa. Indiyah is focused on co-hosting the podcast, while Dami isn’t interested, knowing it would be an unforgivable level of disrespect.”

Gareth Wyn Jones, described as “the nation’s favourite farmer”, presented The Family Farm, a BBC series which saw families take part in an agricultural challenge in north Wales

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The Family Farm star Gareth Wyn Jones has been targeted in a £2,000 deepfake “sextortion” plot.

The 58-year-old TV personality said his work as an influencer has lead to him becoming the target of the AI blackmailing plot. The hill farmer claimed he was sent an AI-generated deepfake video of himself having sex with a mysterious woman.

He was then allegedly told that he had to pay a staggering £2,000 to stop the footage appearing across the internet. Gareth, though, has refused the blackmailer’s demands and instead threatened them with legal action.

The BBC star described the experience as “very scary” and wants to share the details to warn others of the scam. The father of three encouraged others to remain strong as he feels he “might have caved in” had he “been more weak-willed”.

READ MORE: WhatsApp users warned of scary ‘ghost pairing’ scam that gives hackers your dataREAD MORE: New alert over credit cards after Bank of England issues update

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Gareth, known as “the nation’s favourite farmer”, said the blackmailer told him: “See, you have to pay me £2,000 or I will log into your Facebook account and post about your sex video with me and pictures.

“I will also hack your phone number and call your wife and show her, and I will also post it on social media. So to avoid this, just pay me £2,000 and be free.”

But the TV personality, who lives in north Wales with his wife and kids, kept defiant and threatened the trolls with legal action. He said: “It was very scary. I suppose you could call them trolls.

“They demanded payment for a video with this woman but I can tell you for a fact there are no images or videos of me with this woman. The whole thing was obviously AI generated.”

READ MORE: ‘Jeremy Clarkson helped save my life — but now I must warn others about his work’

Gareth, who has two million social media followers and presented BBC documentary series The Family Farm, said the scam began when he was initially contacted by someone online who claimed to be selling goats for £5.

The account’s profile picture changed to a woman some time after he had first been contacted by them, and then the blackmail attempt began, it is reported.

Ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown offered some insights into living in Number 10 and why it needs a facelift

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Gordon Brown says Number 10 Downing Street will never be fully refurbished because no PM wants to vacate it for a long time – for fear they will be out before they get a chance to move back in.

Former Labour leader Brown, 74, was Prime Minister himself from 2007 to 2010 following on from Tony Blair’s reign in charge. He told how there are no full time chefs in the kitchen at Downing Street and other parts of the building are also in need of improvement.

Brown said: “I mean, look, when you go into Downing Street, it must have happened to Keir Starmer a few months ago. Someone comes from the civil service and says, Downing Street is in need of repair, it needs to be refurbished, can you approve this plan?

“Because it needs all this redecoration, refurbishment. It’s a very old building, as you know. And then you say, ‘well, how long is it going to take?’.

“And the guy said, well, you’ll have to be out of Downing Street for at least five years. And no prime minister is going to agree to that, are they? Because you don’t know if you’re even going to be prime minister.

“Liz Truss, she’d agreed to it. She was only there for a few days! But the idea that you come in as a prime minister, and the minute you’re in, you’re advised by the civil service that you’ve got to leave for five years, and you don’t know if you’ll ever be back.

“And in my case, I wouldn’t have been back, and you have to move to another building. So that’s why the refurbishment of Downing Street is never really going to happen.”

Speaking to Ruthie Rogers on her Table 4 podcast, Brown also reflected on his childhood in Scotland, growing up in poverty and surviving on porridge and omelettes during wartime shortages. He also told her about his first taste of alcohol as a teenager – which came whilst he was in hospital.

Brown was injured after being kicked in the head in a rugby scrum at school. As a result when he was at Edinburgh University he went blind in his left eye.

Speaking about his time in hospital around this period, Brown said: “At eight o’clock every evening, a trolley came round, and they offered you drinks.Alcoholic drinks. I was 16, and you would be offered Guinness, you’d be offered wine, you’d be offered lager, and you could take what you wanted.

“And this was my introduction into alcohol. I knew the health service was free, but free beer. And, so the food wasn’t so good, but the drink was quite enticing. So that’s my early years.”

The Only Way Is Essex star Lauren Goodger has started up a successful OnlyFans page alongside her TV career and one subscriber offered her a six figure sum to spend the night

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Lauren Goodger has revealed she was offered six figures to spend the night with a stranger. The reality star, 39, who shot to fame in the early 2010s when she was cast on The Only Way Is Essex, also has a subscription page on the adults-only platform OnlyFans alongside her TV career, where she sells racy content to followers.

But the former Celebrity Big Brother contestant revealed that one subscriber offered her £150,000 to spend the night, and admitted that the lucrative offer was “hard to turn down”. She said: “I’ve been offered 150 grand for the night, that’s another whole world. Never. Not being wrong, it’s hard to turn down but I couldn’t. I can’t even sleep with a guy in real life.”

READ MORE: Lauren Goodger opens up on celibacy after ‘meaningless exchanges’READ MORE: Olivia Attwood Getting Filthy Rich ‘most shocking series yet’ with huge names signed up

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Whilst Lauren did not go through with the offer, she does create custom content for her fans, and typically charges them £6,500, but admitted she could never imagine herself doing such a thing when her TV career was at its peak. During an upcoming appearance on Olivia Attwood’s Getting Filthy Rich, she tells the Loose Women star: “Way back years ago when I was doing more TV work I was like ‘I’m never doing OnlyFans’ that’s not me.

“A few years later we went into Covid lockdown there’s no photo shoots, there’s no filming. Had these big bills come in and was like I have to pay this off so I sort of got backed into a corner. I was like I’m just gonna have to do it.” The former Dancing on Ice star then showed Olivia a topless photo of herself that earned her thousands of pounds, but admitted that she can’t pretend OnlyFans is really how she wants to earn a living.

She said: “I wouldn’t want to sit here and be like I absolutely love it. Do I really want these men to have these pictures? Do I really want to do this for how long and everyone knowing about it?

“And people looking at me thinking gosh she’s a successful lovely girl why she’s doing that but that’s the stigma around it. I can’t tell the world it’s not what you think.” Lauren then revealed that one of her friends begged her to stop using the platform, but insisted that it is a necessity when it comes to paying her bills.

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She added: “One of my friends did say ‘Lauren please delete, you don’t need to do it, you’re so much better than this.’ Without Only Fans I wouldn’t be able to pay all my bills. I have my house, my car, my child so don’t judge me. I’m not doing it so I can buy a Chanel handbag. I need the money. I’m only doing it so I can support myself. I need to live.”

Lauren previously explained that whilst she earned quite a lot in her early days of television fame, she spent a lot on cosmetic procedures, a decision she later came to regret.

She said: “I probably earned the most, but lost a hell of a lot. And that has humbled me, 100 per cent.” And speaking to Closer magazine in 2025, she revealed that some of her spending had gone on cosmetic procedures. She revealed: “When I had everything done, I looked the b****ks.

“My boobs looked amazing, I loved how I looked in pictures and all the attention. But now I wish I’d never had anything. I want it all out. My bum and boobs make me look bigger and cause me pain. I want to reverse it all and go back to natural.”