Dame Prue Leith seemingly threw her support behind Gregg Wallace and insisted he ‘shouldn’t be sacked or cancelled’ amid ongoing misconduct allegations.

The GBBO host, 84, also said she too is often warned over her own ‘offensive language’ while filming her ITV show Prue Leith’s Cotswold Kitchen and claimed more regulations would lead to ‘boring telly’.

Gregg, 60, stepped down from hosting Masterchef last week while an investigation into his alleged misconduct is carried out.

After initially facing accusations of inappropriate behaviour from 13 people, including Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, he has since been hit by an onslaught of more claims which include groping, pressing his crotch against a colleague and allegedly flashing another woman in his dressing room.

Speaking to Times Radio Prue said: ‘I’m a great believer in due process. He should just stay off social media because he’s just digging himself deeper and deeper into a hole because he’s too insensitive to understand how offensive it is’.

‘But that’s his problem, that he’s insensitive. He hasn’t, that I can see, disobeyed the law. I don’t believe people should be cancelled or sacked. I can see why you would ask somebody to step aside while they investigate things, which I suppose is what they’re doing. But I think the tragedy in this is that I bet you Gregg has no idea what he’s done wrong’.

Dame Prue Leith, 84, seemingly threw her support behind Gregg Wallace and insisted he shouldn't be sacked or cancelled' amid his ongoing misconduct allegations
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Dame Prue Leith, 84, seemingly threw her support behind Gregg Wallace and insisted he shouldn’t be sacked or cancelled’ amid his ongoing misconduct allegations

The GBBO host claimed that more behind the scenes regulations would lead to 'very boring' TV (Gregg Wallace pictured)
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The GBBO host claimed that more behind the scenes regulations would lead to ‘very boring’ TV (Gregg Wallace pictured)

She said she too is often warned over her own 'offensive language' on her ITV show Prue Leith's Cotswold Kitchen (pictured)
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She said she too is often warned over her own ‘offensive language’ on her ITV show Prue Leith’s Cotswold Kitchen (pictured)

When asked if she agreed with fellow broadcaster Kirstie Allsopp, 53, that presenters should receive HR training she said: ‘I think it’s really dangerous because I think, I mean, I’m thinking off the cuff here, so I’ll probably get myself into trouble but if you have things too regulated and too organised and everybody’s on a script, it can be very boring’.

Asked if she believed the fallout from Gregg’s misconduct investigation would result in ‘very bland, safe presenters’ she said: ‘Yes, yes. Because nobody will ever dare say anything. And that’s silly too. But I think broadcasters need to know’.

‘It is very tricky because I do a little programme on ITV on Saturday morning and it’s a cooking programme and every now and again, the production company will say, don’t say that because it’ll be offensive and I think that it’s not offensive’.

Before adding: ‘And then I suppose that’s a Gregg Wallace thing. Maybe I don’t realise. I mean, for example, language changes all the time’.

It comes after MailOnline revealed that Gregg  may be completely erased from the new series of MasterChef so it can be aired.

He had already filmed the forthcoming series for amateur chefs last month with his co-presenter John Torode, 59. But is now set to be wiped from the tapes before it is screened next year.

Gregg stood down from the show last week after a flurry of allegations of s3xually inappropriate comments on set, which has sparked fears that the next series would have to be completely ditched.

But a production insider told the Mail Online that the series is ‘salvageable’ as the option to airbrush Wallace entirely out of the episodes is being carefully considered. This would mean that the series – which will have cost production company Banijay a significant sum to make – would not have to be binned.

Asked if she believed the fallout from Gregg's misconduct investigation would result in 'very bland, safe presenters' she said: 'Yes, yes. Because nobody will ever dare say anything. And that's silly too. But I think broadcasters need to know'.
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Asked if she believed the fallout from Gregg’s misconduct investigation would result in ‘very bland, safe presenters’ she said: ‘Yes, yes. Because nobody will ever dare say anything. And that’s silly too. But I think broadcasters need to know’.

'It is very tricky because I do a little programme on ITV on Saturday morning and it's a cooking programme and every now and again, the production company will say, don't say that because it'll be offensive and I think that it's not offensive'
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‘It is very tricky because I do a little programme on ITV on Saturday morning and it’s a cooking programme and every now and again, the production company will say, don’t say that because it’ll be offensive and I think that it’s not offensive’


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Gregg, 60, stepped down from hosting Masterchef last week while an investigation into his alleged misconduct is carried out.

Pictured with Paul Hollywood on The Great British Bakeoff
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Pictured with Paul Hollywood on The Great British Bakeoff

The source said that Torode and Wallace’s critiques, where they give feedback on the contestants’ food, were filmed separately.

They said: ‘John and Gregg were always shot with separate cameras. Any two shots, or wide shots containing the pair can be cut. Removing Gregg entirely is a difficult task, but not an impossible one.’

Last Friday, Australian chef Torode was flown overseas to continue filming the show, with Irish chef Anna Haugh stepping in to replace Wallace.

Filming on the forthcoming series was completed on Tuesday afternoon and had been due to be broadcast in Spring 2025.

It is now unclear when the BBC will air the recently recorded episodes.

Sources on set said ‘it couldn’t have gone better’, with one saying: ‘Considering the circumstances it has been seamless.’

‘We had the popular Anna Haugh, who has appeared on the show before, step in and give the contestants feedback alongside John.

‘The production team was committed to keeping the atmosphere on set as calm as possible for our amateur finalists.’

Gregg may be completely erased from the new series of MasterChef so it can be aired, MailOnline can reveal
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Gregg may be completely erased from the new series of MasterChef so it can be aired, MailOnline can reveal

Wallace had already filmed the forthcoming series for amateur chefs last month with his co-presenter John Torode , 59 (pictured)
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Wallace had already filmed the forthcoming series for amateur chefs last month with his co-presenter John Torode , 59 (pictured)

It would not be an unprecedented move for a BBC programme to erase its stars from the screen.

In 2023 RuPaul’s Drag Race, a reality TV contest for drag queens, one contestant was airbrushed out after they were accused of inappropriate behaviour before the show aired.

While TV presenter Jay Blades, who was charged last month with the physical and emotional abuse of his wife, has not appeared in pre-recorded episodes of The Repair Shop which have broadcast since.

Torode broke his silence on Wednesday, but declined to defend his television colleague of 19 years, and said he fully supports the probe into the claims of s3xual misconduct and inappropriate behaviour and language.

He said it had been ‘hard’ to keep working after hearing of the allegations.

On Thursday night, the BBC broadcast the semi-finals of MasterChef: The Professional, featuring Wallace. But it has scrapped the scheduled broadcast of two Christmas specials of the cookery show.