A cringe-worthy clip of Melanie Sykes on has resurfaced after she blamed for her decision to ‘quit TV’.
The 60-year-old presenter stepped back from the show this week amid a storm of controversy surrounding allegations of his inappropriate behaviour on various TV shows.
The father-of-three has been accused of making “inappropriate sexual jokes” in addition to other behavioural complaints. However, he has denied the allegations as his lawyers stated: “It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”.
Mel, 54, took part in Celebrity MasterChef back in 2021 following a hiatus from the limelight. She has since alleged that Wallace’s “unprofessional” demeanour on the programme convinced her that her days in the television were over, reports the Mirror.
In her memoir, ‘Illuminated’, the mother-of-two recounts a ‘ludicrous’ sandwich task set by the former greengrocer. She wrote: “One of the challenges was to make a monstrous sandwich; I could not believe I was on MasterChef learning how to make a f*****g sandwich.
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She claimed Gregg Wallace was the reason she quit TV (Image: BBC)
“This challenge was a crime against focaccia. I just could not do it. So I decided to make a small chicken ciabatta sandwich because I did not give two hoots at this point.”
Now, footage of #sandwichgate has resurfaced online, showing Mel and Greggg clearly exasperated by the assignment. As he ambles up to her station in the kitchen, the Peckham-born host comments: “That sounds like a bit of an elaborate sandwich for you Melanie, you’re a classic cook.”
Mel confessed on the gruelling culinary challenge: “I am a classic cook,” awkwardly admitting, “This is why this challenge is a bit difficult for me because I’m always a less is more type of person in every way and this is the absolute opposite, so it’s against the grain.”
Although Gregg has worked with numerous celebrities on the famed cooking show, Mel, who boasts an impressive 25-year career in presenting, felt that his behaviour was far from ideal.
She revealed that Gregg “barked orders at how we had to behave” and tagged him as “very unprofessional”. The veteran television host, known for her stints on Today with Des and Mel, The Big Breakfast, and The Great Pottery Throw Down, stepped away from mainstream TV in 2021.
Her decision came after the “horror story” of experiences she faced as a woman in the media sector. After claiming Gregg asked her “Do models eat?” shortly after she debuted on MasterChef, the Mancunian wrote about teh mortifying moment in her book.
She insisted that Gregg’s comments made her realise that she was done with TV for good. In her autobiography, Illuminated, Mel wrote: “When I was finally out [of MasterChef], I wanted to run out of there.
“I could not wait to leave, but I did try to find John to say goodbye; he had obviously wanted to get out of there as much as I did, as he had already left.
“As I was walking to the car, Gregg was leaving too, and he said, ‘Appearing on this will do a lot for you.’ I didn’t know what to say, so I smiled and said yes, but I was really thinking, ‘Yes, you have finally helped me decide to end my television career once and for all.’ I was done.”