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Gregg Wallace ‘most requested’ celebrity on Cameo on Valentine’s Day after MasterChef axe

The TV personality has turned to Cameo for income after his ‘MasterChef’ axe

Gregg Wallace reflects on BBC sacking that ‘changed his life forever’

When it comes to Valentine’s Day gifts, gone are the days of flowers and jewellery. It seems that for 2026, there were some who thought outside the chocolate box for the international holiday of love – by giving their beloved a personalised message from Gregg Wallace.

The axed MasterChef presenter has revealed that he was “the most requested” celebrity on personalised video site Cameo for Valentine’s Day.

Writing on Instagram on Tuesday (17 February), the disgraced host wrote: “Love sending the messages. Some very romantic, some very funny.”

He also shared the screenshot of what appears to be Cameo’s Top 100 Leaderboard, showing himself at the top with 101 points.

He’s shortly followed by The Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder with 84, while Real Housewives personality Sonja Morgan and The Inbetweeners’ James Buckley trail behind with 75 points each.

The 61-year-old, who still describes himself as MasterChef’s “telly presenter” on the app, offers personalised video content for fans within 60 minutes for £36.80.

His Cameo page reads: “Whether it’s a milestone birthday, an anniversary, or a long-awaited reunion, make it unforgettable with a one-of-a-kind Cameo video from Gregg Wallace.

“You’ll have the chance to customise your request for Gregg Wallace, like asking them to mention inside jokes, share words of wisdom, or work in their signature catchphrases.”

The dad-of-three rose to fame on BBC One cooking competition MasterChef, hosting the show for nearly 20 years before being axed over allegations of misconduct.

Wallace stepped away from the show in November 2024 while production company Banijay Entertainment instructed law firm Lewis Silkin LLP to conduct an investigation into the claims. They upheld 45 out of 83 complaints against Wallace, stating that several claims of inappropriate sexual language and humour were substantiated.

The report stated that a “smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also” upheld.

At the time, the BBC issued an apology to all those “impacted by Mr Wallace’s behaviour”, and admitted that “opportunities were missed to address” his conduct, stating: “We accept more could and should have been done sooner.”

An investigation into Wallace’s behaviour upheld 45 out of 83 complaints of misconduct against him
An investigation into Wallace’s behaviour upheld 45 out of 83 complaints of misconduct against him (PA Archive)

They added: "This behaviour falls below the values of the BBC and the expectations we have for anyone who works with or for us.”

Just over 24 hours later, his co-host John Torode was also sacked over an allegation of racist language, which was substantiated in the report.

Torode said in a statement that he had “no recollection of the incident” and was “shocked and saddened” by the allegation.

“I’d hoped that I’d have some say in my exit from a show I’ve worked on since its relaunch in 2005, but events in the last few days seem to have prevented that,” Torode added.

Wallace has since been replaced on MasterChef by food critic Grace Dent, while Saturday Kitchen Live’s Matt Tebbutt recently took over his role on MasterChef: The Professionals.

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