MasterChef fans shared the same fear as the 2024 season of The Professionals reached a tense finale.

A dark cloud has hung over the current season as accusations of inappropriate work practices against head judge Gregg Wallace emerged just as the latest batch of episodes began. The 60-year-old cooking expert has been accused of using inappropriate s3xual vocabulary and behaviour on and around the set of the BBC show – an accusation Wallace himself has furiously denied.

Fan reaction to the accusations has been split – with many MasterChef fans defending the under fire star from the allegations made against him. And many of his fans took to social media on Thursday to share their fear that they won’t see Wallace on the show again as finalists Chiara Tomasoni, Dan Merriman and George Birtwell battle for the crown.

( 
Image:

BBC)
The star has stepped back from future episodes pending an investigation – and planned festive special episodes that were set to air later this month have been binned. The move by the show bosses has left some concerned Gregg won’t ever return to the series that he has hosted since 2005.

One fan wrote on X as the MasterChef The Professionals final aired: “Watching the celebrity master chef final as it’ll probably be the last time we’ll see Gregg Wallace on the tv.” And another typed:” Just watching Gregg Wallace for the last time #MasterChefTheProfessionals,” alongside a crying face emoji.

However, in light of the allegations against him, some fans have shared their view that the BBC should have edited out Gregg from the final episodes of the show. One wrote: “It would have been possible to edit out most of Gregg Wallace’s input in final episode of #mastercheftheprofessionals, so, why not?”

Dan Merriman , Chiara Tomasoni and George Birtwell were the 2024 MasterChef: The Professionals finalists ( 
Image:
BBC/Shine TV)

Following the initial allegations against him of inappropriate behaviour, a lawyer said on behalf of Wallace: “It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a s3xually harassing nature.” The star himself provoked a backlash days later when he took to social media to share a video of himself confronting the headlines about him.

During his rebuttal, he argued: “I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age, just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isn’t right.” After a furious backlash, he then issued an apology. Wallace said: “I want to apologise for any offence that I caused with my post yesterday, and any upset I may have caused to a lot of people.

“I wasn’t in a good head space when I posted it. I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, I felt very alone, under siege, yesterday, when I posted it.” He concluded: “It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out while this investigation is under way. I hope you understand and I do hope that you will accept this apology.”