‘There are so many things that are painful and difficult to listen to’: Melanie Sykes speaks out after claiming MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace was the reason she quit TV

Melanie Sykes has spoken out amid the ongoing row over Gregg Wallace and his sexual misconduct investigation.

The star, 54, previously claimed that spending time with MasterChef presenter Gregg on the BBC show in 2021 caused her to leave her television career behind.

Gregg, 60, has quit the BBC show after 13 people, including Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, accused him of ‘wrong’ and inappropriate ‘sexualised’ behavior during filming.

The claims span a period of 17 years and include those of inappropriate behavior including walking around naked on set with a sock on his penis, inappropriate jokes and two claims of groping crew members.

In a new YouTube video posted Sunday, Melanie did not directly address Gregg’s situation during her speech, but referenced certain recent media reports.

Reflecting, she said, “As always, I am deep in thought, emotional and so grateful and happy with everything in my life.

‘But there are so many things as a human being that are painful and difficult to listen to.

“I look at the birds in the morning and they are so in tune, and I don’t understand why we can’t do that.

‘There are times in my life when I don’t engage with the media story in any form, and there are times when I do because I want to know what’s happening…’

Melanie made comments about Gregg in her autobiography, titled Illuminating, published last year, and expanded on them in another video posted to YouTube in recent days.

Mel claimed Gregg greeted her on MasterChef by asking if models ate food, which she said she found “unprofessional” and laced with “ignorance and disrespect.”

She also said the grocer-turned-broadcaster spent so much time “barking orders” that she wanted to leave the show.

And Gregg apparently told her that appearing on his show would do a lot for her career prospects.

She said: ‘I didn’t know what to say, so I smiled and said yes, but I really thought, ‘Yes, you finally helped me end my television career once and for all.’

Melanie said she had made an informal complaint against Wallace, claiming she found the behavior on the MasterChef set ‘overwhelming’.

Melanie is best known for the Boddingtons advert in the 1990s and as co-host of Today with Des and Mel in the early 2000s.

In her book, Melanie wrote: ‘The MasterChef experience remained an eye-opener, and unprofessional behavior on set was breathtaking.’

In her recent YouTube video, she said that “every time Gregg came to the station, I didn’t really like him being around because it’s all about vibration and energy.”

At the end of the show’s filming, Melanie claimed that she had a brief conversation with Gregg, which was a big factor in her departure from television.

It is not known to whom Melanie filed an informal complaint about Gregg.

It was revealed on Saturday that Gregg admitted ‘defeat’ and accepted his career was over, following an investigation by a production company into his alleged sexual harassment and groping.

In October, Gregg vehemently denied making inappropriate sexual comments to women, stating that he would never “flirt” or “hit” another woman and, “I didn’t say anything sexual.”

A source has now told MailOnline that Gregg has told friends he ‘accepts his TV career is effectively over’.

They revealed that Gregg is “quite thoughtful and pragmatic” about the research and has concluded that he “had a good run and did well for a guy who was basically a greengrocer.”

Gregg set up his own fruit and vegetable company in 1989 – earning him the nickname ‘Gregg the Veg’ from friends – supplying restaurants including Quaglinos, where young Australian chef John worked.

Although this year’s MasterChef Christmas specials have been removed from the TV schedule, there is also discussion that the BBC will remove landmark shows featuring him due to the nature of the complaints.

MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment. Gregg’s representatives declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.

Other accusations include talking openly about his sex life on set, detailing intimate acts, flirting with crew members and asking younger female colleagues for their numbers.

Meanwhile, The Sun has reported that the star has stopped using his legal team as he believes he will be fired from MasterChef and has resigned to his fate.

The presenter has reportedly turned away crisis publicity teams in the weeks after several women complained he had groped or harassed them.

He announced last month that he would stop presenting MasterChef after almost two decades, while an investigation into his alleged misconduct is underway.

Earlier this week, Penny Lancaster broke her silence after her husband Rod Stewart punched the hostin which she said she was a “victim and witness” of Gregg’s bullying.

She said: “I absolutely witnessed and was a victim of some of Gregg Wallace’s bullying and harassment behavior. And unfortunately many people from the production team also witnessed this.’

She continued, “I really feel like he used his position of power to, I think, intimidate and cause distress to a lot of people on set.

‘And it’s really a shame that someone like him gets away with that, while others stand by and allow it to happen at the same time. And it’s clear that a lot of people have come forward.’

Following his departure, singer Rod delivered an angry tirade against the presenter, calling him a ‘fat, bald, ill-mannered bully’ to ‘demeaning’ wife Penny when she appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in 2021.

Explaining the decision behind Rod’s angry post, Penny said: ‘My husband couldn’t hold back when he heard people talking about the disturbing behaviour.

“Protective husband was like, ‘I’m not going to stay silent, I have to say something,’ because he realized how upset I was at the time.”

The BBC claims Gregg walked away from MasterChef after BBC News sent a letter to his agent on Tuesday detailing allegations made by 13 people and giving him the right of reply.

They say he was warned after a complaint was filed in 2018, but new historical claims emerged in the summer of 2024.

Gregg is “committed to cooperating fully throughout the process,” the show’s production company, Banijay UK, said.

The chef has since thanked people for their support following allegations that he simulated a sex act and walked into the MasterChef studio ‘completely naked’ apart from a ‘sock covering his penis’.

Gregg is accused of miming a sex act in front of a member of the show’s production staff who was on his knees to clean his pants during filming, according to the lurid and so far unsubstantiated allegations.

The grocer-turned-host is also accused of making “disgusting sex-related jokes”, including one about an “aunt” while tasting a contestant’s dish on the show.

In a video posted to Instagram last month, he said: ‘I’d like to thank all the people who have reached out to us, reached out and shown their support.

“That’s good of you, thank you very much.”