Former MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace has defended charging £37 for personalised Cameo videos after losing his BBC role and facing financial difficulties.
Wallace presented the cooking programme for around 20 years before stepping down last year following several allegations of misconduct, first reported by BBC News. A subsequent investigation upheld more than 40 complaints about his conduct on the show, including one incident involving unwanted physical contact and three occasions when he was allegedly inappropriately undressed.
He turned to recording Cameo messages to earn money and has now responded on Instagram to criticism of the decision, insisting he takes “great pride” in creating the videos.
Alongside a photograph of himself, Wallace wrote: “Cameo Messages – yes, I earned money from them and they really did help us out when I lost my job. But I genuinely love doing them and I take great pride in them. You can see that from my five star reviews.”
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One Instagram user commented: “Really really happy with the one you did for my sons 40th, thank you.” Another wrote: “Hopefully you will be doing a special Christmas cooking show for us.”
The post comes after Wallace confirmed that he has resumed legal action against the BBC, despite abandoning his claim in February. The former MasterChef host withdrew the case earlier this year, stating that he would receive neither compensation nor legal costs. He had sought up to £10,000 in damages, although court documents recorded that his claim against the BBC and BBC Studios had been “discontinued”.
Wallace alleged that the broadcaster caused him “distress and harassment” by failing to respond properly to a request for his personal data. He began the legal proceedings after being dismissed from the long-running cookery programme.
Confirming that a hearing is scheduled for next spring, the 62-year-old said on social media: “We are going down the legal route and I am the injured party. I’m a victim of a terrible witch hunt. First court date in spring next year. The investigation report shows no bullying, no harassment and no workplace touching.”