John Torode sacked by BBC after being accused of singing along to Kanye West song Gold Digger
Ex-MasterChef presenter John Torode, 59, is thought to have been booted out by the BBC for using a racial slur - more than once - while singing along to Kanye West's song Gold Digger.
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He repeated lyrics from the song, which contain a racial slur, at an after-work event six or seven years ago, the Sun reported.
He is thought to have used the word again while speaking with a friend on the BBC show’s production team, who said Torode used the slur as an "example" and "apologised afterwards".
The person who raised the complaint is understood to have "overheard the conversation".
TV presenter Richard Osman said earlier in the week that Torode's use of the "worst racial slur there is" led to his dismissal.
On his podcast The Rest is Entertainment, Osman said: "On this particular occasion, it’s not ‘woke gone mad’. You know, he used, I think, probably the worst racial slur there is. And they found it to be substantively true.
"They found evidence that they were happy with, that was true.
"He is saying, ‘I definitely didn’t do it, I certainly can’t remember it.’ But that one was upheld."
He added Banijay UK, the producers of MasterChef, said they would give Torode a second chance if he took a year off the show, but he refused.
The latest news follows a racism allegation against Torode, which was upheld in a report and led by law firm Lewis Silkin, which also substantiated 45 out of the 83 allegations made against Gregg Wallace.
Torode broke his silence on Tuesday night after Banijay UK confirmed his contract will not be renewed, which he claims he only found out about through news reports.
In an explosive post on Instagram, Torode reiterated he had "no recollection" of making a racist comment.
He added: "I'm shocked and saddened by the allegation as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence."
He also posted another statement to Instagram in which he said he "hoped" he would "have some say in my exit from a show I've worked on since its relaunch in 2005".
A Banijay spokesperson said: "In response to John Torode’s statement, it is important to stress that Banijay UK takes this matter incredibly seriously."
A BBC spokesperson added that the allegation against Torode “involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace” which was "investigated and substantiated" by the independent investigation led by Lewis Silkin.
They said: "John Torode denies the allegation. He has stated he has no recollection of the alleged incident and does not believe that it happened. He also says that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment.
"The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously. We will not tolerate racist language of any kind and, as we have already said, we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken. John Torode’s contract on MasterChef will not be renewed."