When Sarah Shafi signed up for MasterChef‘s amateur series, she was hoping it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase her passion for food.
But instead, she walked away feeling dismissed, uncomfortable—and eventually cut entirely from the show.
A Dream Turned Sour Behind the Scenes
Speaking in a revealing interview with Newsnight, Sarah said she entered the competition ready to give her all in the kitchen.
But it quickly became clear that the experience wouldn’t be what she expected.
She described feeling “eyed up and ogled” by host Gregg Wallace and said the overall atmosphere didn’t sit right with her.
“I went there being faithful to food,” she shared.
“But it just felt very uncomfortable for me.”
Allegations Against Gregg Wallace
When asked what exactly Wallace did to make her feel uneasy, Sarah described a moment that stuck with her—a casual remark, seemingly about his own reputation with women.
She couldn’t recall the exact words, but the tone, she said, made her feel off-balance.
Later, things escalated. “He came a bit closer and made a comment that I was really amazing.
I thought, it’s weird, but I’ll take it. But I just didn’t like it. It felt off.”
BBC and Banijay Say There’s No Record
In response to her claims, Banijay UK, the production company behind MasterChef, said they had no record of Sarah raising concerns at the time.
They also stated they found no supporting evidence in the unedited show footage.
Sarah, however, believes the incidents likely happened off-camera.
She said she spoke to family about it that night, and then contacted MasterChef the next day over the phone.
A ‘Boys’ Game’ and Feeling Silenced
Sarah didn’t just take issue with Wallace’s behaviour—she criticised the show’s culture entirely.
Calling it a “boys’ game,” she said it was not a space where women felt safe or heard.
That came to a head, she said, during a tense off-camera conversation with production that ultimately led to her being edited out.
According to her, the BBC pressured her into agreeing to be cut from the show.
“I was flabbergasted,” she said. “It felt like being silenced into extinction.”
Her Message to the BBC
Sarah didn’t hold back when asked what the BBC could do going forward. “Where’s the learning?” she asked.
“Where’s the self-awareness?” She questioned the broadcaster’s treatment of women with past allegations and whether they had truly listened to victims.
“Everyone talks about how life-changing the show is,” she said.
“But what about the women—those 43 or 83 who’ve made claims? Their lives might have changed for the worse.
Did anyone think about how re-traumatising it is to see their alleged abuser back on screen?”
The Show Is Still Going Ahead
Despite these concerns, the BBC has decided to go ahead with airing the 2025 MasterChef amateur season.
The series, filmed last autumn before Wallace’s misconduct report was published, will begin on August 6 on BBC One and iPlayer.
According to reports, the BBC has advised Banijay to keep Wallace and co-host John Torode’s screen time to a minimum in light of the situation.
Gregg Wallace Responds With Tears and Regret
In his first public interview since the scandal broke, Gregg Wallace has addressed the complaints, saying he is “sorry for hurting the 41 women” who accused him of inappropriate behaviour.
Breaking down in tears, he told The Sun: “I’m not a groper, a sex pest or a flasher.”
Wallace, 60, insisted that while some of his jokes or behaviour may not have been “socially acceptable,” he never meant harm and believes he’s been unfairly compared to notorious figures like Jimmy Savile or Huw Edwards.
A Career He Wishes He Never Started
Wallace reflected on his journey into television with deep regret. “My life was better when I was a greengrocer,” he admitted.
He also came to the defence of his co-host John Torode, insisting: “He’s not a racist.”
While acknowledging that some of the claims—like inappropriate jokes and even an incident where he dropped his trousers—had merit, Wallace said they were taken out of context or misinterpreted.
“In a room of 200 people, one person complained about my knob joke,” he said.
“It sounds bad, but I don’t work in an office. It’s a different environment.”
The Bigger Picture
Out of 83 complaints lodged about Wallace’s behaviour, 45 were upheld.
Though he has stepped down from MasterChef, the controversy continues to cast a shadow over the BBC and the show’s future.
Neither Banijay UK nor Wallace’s representatives have responded to the latest claims from Sarah Shafi at the time of writing.
