MasterChef star John Torode sacked - after allegation he used 'racist language' upheld in Gregg Wallace report

On Monday, the TV chef, 59, took to Instagram to tell fans that he allegedly made the remarks in 2018 or 2019 and that he had apologised immediately afterwards.

The allegation was upheld in a report, led by law firm Lewis Silkin, which also substantiated 45 out of the 83 allegations made against Wallace.

Speaking in an Instagram post on Monday, Torode said he had "no recollection" of the alleged incident, adding: "I do not believe that it happened."

A Banijay spokesperson said: “In response to John Torode’s statement, it is important to stress that Banijay UK takes this matter incredibly seriously.

“The legal team at Lewis Silkin that investigated the allegations relating to Gregg Wallace also substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against John Torode which occurred in 2018.

“This matter has been formally discussed with John Torode by Banijay UK, and whilst we note that John says he does not recall the incident, Lewis Silkin have upheld the very serious complaint. Banijay UK and the BBC are agreed that we will not renew his contract on MasterChef.”

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.”