Gregg Wallace admits being suicidal after MasterChef axe amid allegations of ‘lewd and inappropriate behaviour’ on set
GREGG Wallace admitted being suicidal after accused of "lewd and inappropriate behaviour" on the set of MasterChef.
TV presenter Gregg said: "I thought about suicide all the time."
Gregg was accused of making sexual remarks to 13 colleagues including Beeb anchor Kirsty Wark - accusations he denies.
The 60-year-old stepped away from the BBC show while historical misconduct allegations against him continue to be investigated.
Gregg told Mail+: "I hadn’t slept for four days. The feeling of being under attack, of isolation, of abandonment was overwhelming. Nobody from the BBC contacted me once these stories started breaking – absolutely nobody at all.
"You don’t sleep. Your chest races. Your body feels like it’s shutting down because it can’t cope with the levels of stress. You feel really dirty and horrible because everybody is saying you’re a pervert.
"Women – big, respected personalities I thought I had a decent relationship with - were attacking me."
His wife Anna said: "About a week into it all, he broke down in the hallway. He was sobbing, “I’m broken. They’ve beaten me. They’ve completely ruined my name.”
"It just got too much for him. He’s quite a strong man who doesn’t show emotion, so for him to break down crying…"
Former greengrocer Gregg blasted "women of a certain age" who he claimed were behind the allegations, causing huge backlash. He was forced to apologise days later.
Gregg admits his social media rant was a mistake, adding: "I went completely wild and blamed it all on middle-class women. It was the biggest mistake but, by far, the best thing I could have done."
That's because a senior executive from MasterChef finally contacted Gregg, who added: "He was the first person I’d spoken to in days.
"Nobody should be left on their own to face something like this. It’s very difficult to explain the pressure unless you’ve been through it.
"I thought about suicide all the time, 'Is my insurance up to date? Will Anna get some money? She doesn’t deserve this. It would be better if I wasn’t here.'"
Banijay UK arranged for him to be supported by a crisis mentor who insisted he had a mental health screening.
Gregg was diagnosed with profound autism.
He has since cremated his 80-year-old mother Mary Pettman who suffered a fatal heart attack in her sleep as Gregg's 20-year career collapsed.
The cooking show’s production company, Banijay UK, has said law firm Lewis Silkin is leading the investigation into Wallace’s alleged misconduct.
The findings will be made public next month.