Masterchef star Gregg Wallace breaks silence on real reason he quit BBC show
MASTERCHEF star Gregg Wallace has broken his silence on the real reason he quit his own series on the BBC.
The TV presenter took to The One Show alongside his co-star John Torode to open up about the new series of the cooking favourite.
As well as Masterchef, Greg, 58, is known for presenting his own BBC series Inside The Factory – but revealed he was quitting last month.
The TV star said he wanted to focus on his autistic son, after travelling the country for the series to explore how food is made.
He revealed that the show required him to spend too much time away from his non-verbal son Sid, who he shares with his partner Anne-Marie (Anna) Sterpini.
Now, appearing on The One Show, Greg clarified that he and Anne-Marie were focusing on finding the youngster a new school.
“Greg, I want to ask you first, it’s been in the news recently that you are taking a little break from Inside the Factory?” host Emma Willis asked.
“Yes, that’s true – I’ve got a little boy called Sid, he’s very autistic, he’s non-verbal and we have got to choose a school for him,” Gregg revealed.
“As he’s getting older, it’s getting more challenging. It’s not something I want to just leave to my Anna. I need a little bit more time just to help out.”
“It’s only until we find a school for him,” he reassured his fans.
It comes after Greg quit his BBC programme, telling his fans that there are “12 episodes in the can” and it was a “good idea to stop”.
The TV star will continue to present Masterchef and focus on his son with Anne-Marie, who he hailed a “wonderful mum”.
He admitted on Gaby Roslin’s BBC Radio London show: “It’s not easy.”
“Imagine a child that you can’t threaten or bribe and that’s basically what you’ve got.
“You’ve got a little boy who’s cuddly and happy and naughty, like any little boy would be, but he can’t speak.
“He can’t talk to you, so he gets frustrated because he finds it difficult to tell you what exactly it is he needs.
“Right now, we need to find education for him and I can’t just leave that to Anna – that’s a big, big decision.
“I mean, all parents worry about the schools that children will go to. Ours is even more highlighted because of poor little Sid’s issues.”
Gregg – who has been divorced three times – married fourth wife Anne-Marie back in 2016.
When he’s not busy taking over the world of MasterChef, he enjoys a cosy home life with the caterer, who made contact with him online.
It happened after she tweeted the former greengrocer to ask if rhubarb really went with duck, after seeing him trying the recipe on a cooking TV show.
Gregg told HELLO! Magazine: “I just looked at Anna’s photo and thought, ‘Wow, she’s pretty’. So yes, rhubarb, which was considered an aphrodisiac in medieval times, brought us together.”