Former MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace has decided to discontinue his High Court claim against the BBC and will not receive damages, the corporation has confirmed.
Mr Wallace sued the BBC and BBC Studios Distribution Limited for up to £10,000 in damages over allegations they failed to disclose his personal data, which caused him “distress and harassment”.
Gregg Wallace was sacked by BBC MasterChef over the allegations | BBC
The Masterchef star was axed last summer after an investigation into historical allegations of misconduct resulted in a number of allegations being upheld against him.
The BBC denied Mr Wallace had “suffered any distress or harassment”, stating in court documents he was not “entitled to any damages”.
Gregg Wallace had 45 out of 83 allegations substantiated against him | BBC
A preliminary hearing was due to take place on February 16 but was cancelled ahead of time.
A BBC spokesperson confirmed on Friday that Mr Wallace had discontinued the claim.
They said: “Shortly in advance of a hearing, due February 16, Mr Wallace discontinued his claim. He is not receiving any payment in costs or damages from either BBC or BBC Studios.”
Mr Wallace is yet to comment on the decision to discontinue.
Gregg Wallace stepped away from MasterChef while the investigation by Banijay UK took place
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BBC
Mr Wallace’s barrister, Lawrence Power, said he had requested “personal data” from the BBC and BBC Studios related to “his work, contractual relations and conduct” in March last year.
These requests typically take up to a mont. However, the deadline can be extended if the information is complex, Mr Power said.
Mr Wallace’s barrister claimed that the BBC had “wrongly redacted” information and had “unlawfully failed to supply all of the claimant’s personal data”.
In defence to the claim, Jason Pobjoy KC, for the BBC and BBC Studios, said it was “admitted and averred that primarily due to the lack of proportionality and scale”, the BBC had not provided Mr Wallace with “a substantive response” within three months.
John Torode and Gregg Wallace were both sacked from their roles on MasterChef | BBCBut he added that after designating the request as complex, the BBC responded to Mr Wallace on October 7 with a copy of his personal data, which he was entitled to, and had apologised to Mr Wallace in August.
Mr Pobjoy said the “voluntary disclosure demonstrates that the claimant has no basis to claim damages for distress, or otherwise, in respect of the withholding of such information”.
Mr Wallace began co-presenting MasterChef in 2005, but in November 2024, it was confirmed that he would step away from his role while the misconduct allegations were investigated.
The BBC will not pay Wallace damages
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BBCA review by law firm Lewis Silkin later upheld 45 of the 83 allegations against him, which mostly occurred between 2005 and 2018 and included one of “unwelcome physical contact”.
It said the “majority of the substantiated allegations against Mr 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”.
Mr Wallace issued an apology saying he was “deeply sorry for any distress caused” and that he “never set out to harm or humiliate”.
Mr Wallace was subsequently replaced by food critic Grace Dent and Saturday Kitchen host Matt Tebbutt on MasterChef, and MasterChef: The Professionals.
Since his departure from the BBC, Mr Wallace has launched his own online fitness company, offering nutrition and workout advice to clients.
He has also begun sharing personalised videos for fans on the site Cameo, in which people pay Mr Wallace to record their messages in a clip.
