AFTER helping to send MasterChef host Gregg Wallace’s TV career up in smoke, Penny Lancaster is finally ready to set the record straight.

The model is among a raft of people to make claims about the shamed presenter’s behaviour on the BBC show.

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Penny Lancaster has recalled her terrifying clash with Gregg Wallace on the set of MasterChef

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Gregg comes under attack from Penny in her new memoir

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Sir Rod Stewart stuck up for his wife in a furious Instagram postCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
She says he subjected her to harassment, was threatening and left her in floods of tears.

As Penny bluntly puts it: “I can only think his outburst towards me was a simple recipe of old-fashioned misogyny topped off with a sprinkling of ageism.”

Gregg Wallace strongly denies all allegations of misconduct made against him.

The mum-of-two, 54, who is married to rocker Rod Stewart, makes the sensational allegations in her new autobiography, Someone Like Me.

It comes after a report revealed that more than 40 historic complaints against Wallace had been upheld, along with a claim that his MasterChef co-host, John Torode, once used a racist term.

But Penny reveals that she never planned to speak about her MasterChef stint in 2021, until she was asked to give evidence about Wallace’s conduct.

‘Massive power-play’

She joined multiple women, including Newsnight’s Kirsty Wark, in speaking to law firm Lewis Silkin, which was tasked with probing his actions on the series.

It was after she did this — and Wallace and Torode both lost their jobs — that Penny decided to add a chapter to her memoir sharing her experiences.

Explaining her reasoning for making a stand against Wallace’s conduct, she said she hoped speaking up would encourage others to follow suit.

Penny explained: “No woman should ever go to work fearing they will be bullied or harassed, or arrive home knowing that they have been.”

Penny Lancaster claims Gregg Wallace ‘used his position of power’ to ‘bully and harass’ people on MasterChef
Recalling Wallace’s “bullying” behaviour, Penny said she had initially wrongly believed it would be Aussie chef Torode who would give her a hard time on the celebrity version of the popular cooking show.

But she claims she was not alone in being made to feel uncomfortable by Wallace.

Penny describes one “crass” comment in her book that he allegedly made to MasterChef celebrity contestant Melanie Sykes, who has said she quit her career in TV over her interaction with Wallace, but refused to confirm the jibe.

Recalling the incident, Penny wrote: “When Wallace got to Melanie’s station, the conversation took an unexpected turn. ‘Is it true that models don’t eat?’, I thought I heard him ask.”

Penny went on to say that former model Melanie appeared shocked by the body-shaming question, and said it also touched a nerve with her because of her experiences in the industry.

She added: “She was dismayed by the comment. ‘Did you hear that?’, she asked. I had and I wasn’t im- pressed.

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Sir Rod hit out at Greg Wallace for his treatment towards wife Penny LancasterCredit: Instagram

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Gregg was sacked from the BBC earlier this year after a probe into multiple claimsCredit: BBC

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Penny recalls ‘shaking’ with fear fear after a nasty confrontation with Gregg on the set of MasterChefCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
“I passed it off as Wallace being clumsy, a boorish man, though I noticed that whenever he approached me, any exchange also felt awkward. It was hard to put my finger on it.”

Of the host’s alleged threatening behaviour, Penny recalls how he stole a flower from one of her kitchen creations in what appeared to be a bid to derail her in the contest.

Explaining that the brief was to create two identical dishes, she said that Wallace purposefully took an orchid from her offering and, when she asked for it back, he refused.

She wrote: “Normally Wallace wandered around the studio with a stuck-on smile, but all I could see now was a thunderous stare.

“Then he marched over to my station with my tray and slammed it down. ‘I’m the judge and I make all the decisions’, he said menacingly, before heading back.”

Penny added: “By now, I was shaking. Everyone watched in silence and the atmosphere felt unbearable.”

Penny recalled that no one spoke out to diffuse the situation, including Torode and the production team, who she believes witnessed what happened.

Refusing to be cowed, Penny went on to explain that she confronted Wallace again — but claims he acted in a more threatening manner.

She writes: “He stared at me, reached into his pocket, took out the orchid and dropped it on the floor in front of him. ‘There you go, there’s your flower’, he snapped.

“Thinking about it now, I wonder why I bent down and picked it up. It was such a demeaning position to be placed in, as if his behaviour was part of a massive power-play.”

Admitting she was upset that no one in the studio came to her defence, Penny recalled thinking: “Is that it? Is no one going to call out this harassment?”

In the chapter, she also poured scorn on Banijay — the production company behind MasterChef.

While the series was shot under strict Covid guidelines, Penny claimed that no one made any safeguarding protocol clear — except the restrictions with filming.

She went on to pay tribute in the book to her husband Sir Rod, who she said kept her going through the competition when she was left in tears.

After being eliminated, Penny admitted she felt an overwhelming sense of relief that she no longer had to work alongside Wallace. Recalling her exit scene, which saw her in tears, she writes: “There was a very real context to those tears that was never explained to the viewer.

“It really did feel like no one cared.”

In Someone Like Me, Penny also opened up on Sir Rod’s damning post about Wallace when the probe into his conduct was revealed by The Sun.

She explained that she was on jury service when the first allegations came to light, and said she had no clue Rod would comment about it on Instagram.

The Sun previously told how, in his post, the singer branded Wallace a “tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully”.

‘Don’t mess with me’

Penny wrote: “Rod has always been fiercely protective.

“Knowing how shaken l’d been at the time, it was his way of showing support.” In her autobiography, Penny also lifts the lid on her 18-year marriage to Maggie May rocker Rod — and the other Scottish A-Lister who got away.

During the early years of their relationship, Penny revealed she was asked to assist on a photoshoot with Gerard Butler, who had just been cast in blockbuster film 300, which helped make him a megastar.

Admitting the Scot was very flirty, Penny said he asked her out for a coffee, but she politely declined, before they went on to work together again.

On their second meeting, Penny recalled becoming ill and said it was Gerard who stepped in as her “swashbuckling hero”.

After collapsing to the ground, Paisley-born Gerard leapt into action and called an ambulance, with Penny later discovering she had slipped a disc in her spine.

A few months on, they were together again, with Gerard making another play for Penny’s affections.

After turning down his advances for a third time, she wrote in Someone Like Me: “I suppose Gerard was one of those sliding doors moments — what if I’d said yes?”

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Her new memoir, Someone Like Me, comes out tomorrowCredit: Amazon
But she remained loyal to Rod and the couple married in 2007.

Penny admitted their relationship faced challenges, including the anguish of a miscarriage in 2004, before their son Alastair, now 19, was born.

She also recalled speaking to Rod about his cocaine use, which she said “could make him distant and dismissive”, adding: “I didn’t like how it changed him.”

Writing in the book, Penny revealed that as the pair started to plan a family, she asked Rod to rethink his life- style choices.

While the rock ‘n’ roll legend was still the man she fell in love with, Penny said she was clear that it was time to clean up his act.

She wrote: “After one heart-to-heart, Rod also agreed that if we were to move forward, he would give up that particular indulgence altogether, which he did.”

Penny revealed that, almost two decades after tying the knot, Rod is just as protective of her now as he was when they started dating.

Recalling when she joined the City of London Police in April 2021 as a special constable, Penny wrote: “It is my safety that is always a concern to Rod.”

But she insists that she wears the trousers in their relationship, adding: “Since I joined the force, Rod has also noticed a difference in me. ‘You’ve changed!’, he says.

“My answer? I’ve turned 50, I’m going through the menopause and I’m a special constable, so don’t mess with me.”

Someone Like Me by Penny Lancaster is available now from Bloomsbury Publishing and book shops.

MASTERCHEF SCANDAL TIMELINE

2005 to 2011: Problems with MasterChef began way back in the mid-2000s, with 27 substantiated claims made against host Gregg Wallace regarding alleged incidents in this period, according to a report by law firm Lewis Silkin.

Most of these were related to sexually explicit comments, although one allegation of unwanted physical contact in this period was also substantiated.

The same report found there was a failure by the production company to retain records of any actions taken during this time.

2012 to 2018: Another 17 allegations were upheld from this period, according to the report.

The production company behind MasterChef investigated an allegation about Wallace’s behaviour in 2015 – but he was not made aware of the complaint.

In 2016, the production company merged with Endemol, introducing more formal policies as well as regular training and anonymous reporting lines.

The BBC intervened in response to a complaint in 2017, after which Wallace was then warned to change his behaviour.

2019 to 2024: One substantiated complaint about an inappropriate comment was from this time period.

November 2024: Wallace faces allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people across a 17-year period on a range of TV shows.

He steps away from presenting MasterChef while Banijay – the show’s production company – announces it will conduct an external review to “fully and impartially investigate” the claims against him.

Some of these allegations included Wallace “talking openly about his sex life, taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to ‘give her a fashion show’, and telling a junior female colleague he was not wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans”.

Banijay UK also confirms it has appointed law firm Lewis Silkin to lead the investigation into Wallace’s alleged behaviour.

December 2024: Wallace posts a video on Instagram which claims accusations against him making sexual comments towards staff and guests have come from “middle-class women of a certain age”.

His remarks are widely panned as “inappropriate and misogynistic”, causing Wallace to apologise for any “offence” or “upset” he caused with his remarks, saying he will “take some time out”.

Co-host John Torode says he “loves being part of” the show and “will continue to be a part of it”.
July 8 to 9, 2025: Wallace is sacked as MasterChef presenter following an enquiry into his alleged misconduct by Banijay.

In an Instagram post, the former greengrocer claimed he had been cleared of the “most serious and sensational accusations” against him, ahead of the published review.

He also said he recognised that some of his humour and language was inappropriate “at times” and apologised for this.

July 14, 2025: Lewis Silkin publishes its report, on behalf of Banijay.

It says that a total of 45 out of the 83 allegations made against Wallace during his time on the show were substantiated, including one allegation of “unwelcome physical contact”.

It concludes that the “majority of the substantiated allegations against Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour”, adding that “a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated”.

In the wake of the report’s findings, Banijay says that “Wallace’s return to MasterChef (is) untenable”.

July 15, 2025: Co-host Torode is sacked after allegedly making a racist remark while on the show.

BBC bosses axe the TV host and slam an “extremely offensive” term, which was raised in the bombshell report into Gregg Wallace’s “inappropriate behaviour”.

Torode says the comment – which the report attributed to an unnamed person – referred to him, but added: “I have absolutely no recollection of this, and I do not believe that it happened.”