MasterChef star edited out of BBC series stresses she knows how to ‘spot a creep’
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A MasterChef contestant has said she was made to feel uncomfortable while appearing on the BBC show, before it was confirmed she would be edited out of the upcoming series.
Sarah Shafi, a leadership and management development partner for St John Ambulance from Leeds, was a contestant for Gregg Wallace’s final season of MasterChef which was filmed last year and will be broadcast on the BBC next week with the former greengrocer, 60, and his co-host John Torode getting limited screen time.
In July, an independent report into MasterChef upheld 45 complaints against Wallace, including claims of inappropriate sexual language and one of unwelcome physical contact as well as an upheld a racial language allegation against Torode, which he doesn’t recall.
The BBC subsequently vowed never to work with Wallace ever again while he has since confirmed he has quit television completely.
Shafi has since spoken about her experience on the cooking show, which she described as ‘uncomfortable’.
Sitting in the ITV studio with Kate Garraway and Ed Balls, Shafi said of her experience on the show: ‘For me, it didn’t feel as faithful to food as I thought it would be, and at the same time, I felt it was uncomfortable around presenters.’
Garraway then pressed whether it was Wallace in particular she was referring to, to which Shafi replied referring to Wallace’s controversial comments last year about ‘women of a certain age’ making complaints against him.
Shafi said: ‘It wasn’t a big deal for me. I’m an older woman and a woman of that certain age, and I can kind of spot that creep, and you just go, I’ll just get on with it.
‘After I left the show, I think the main thing I felt was relief.’
Shafi went on to say that it ‘isn’t about her’, adding: ‘This isn’t about a particular experience, although that gave me insight into the taste of that masculine toxicity, and I thought, I don’t want to really be part of that.’
Balls said Banijay, who produces MasterChef, had told the programme they had not found evidence of what Shafi said she had experienced in the rushes from the show, which is the raw, unedited footage from filming.
‘Whatever they say, I did actually make it clear within the days after filming that I felt uncomfortable,’ said Shafi.
‘I know what happened, and I know what I reported and I know what I spoke about. I’ve got my own evidence of that.’
In an interview with Newsnight last week, Shafi also claimed to have been ‘eyed up and ogled’ by Wallace while appearing on the TV show, adding he had made a ‘throwaway comment’ about his reputation with women.
Unable to recall the exchange verbatim, she told Newsnight: ‘I just stood there, I didn’t know how to respond to that. And that I just thought, where’s that come from? Why was he saying that to me?
‘And then later he came, it was a bit closer and made a comment that I was really amazing and I thought, it’s weird, but I’ll take it. But I thought I just don’t like it. I felt it was off.’
A timeline of allegations against Gregg Wallace
2005 to 2011
A report by law firm Lewis Silkin found there were 27 substantiated claims against Wallace relating to alleged incidents during this period, most of which related to sexually explicit comments.
One allegation of unwanted physical contact during this timeframe was also substantiated.
The report found that when concerns were reported to the production company during this period, there was a failure to retain records of any action taken.
2012 to 2018
The report found that 17 upheld allegations relate to this period.
In 2015, the production company behind MasterChef investigated an allegation about Wallace’s behaviour, but he was not made aware of the complaint.
The following year, the production company merged with Endemol, and more formal policies, regular training, and anonymous reporting lines were introduced.
The BBC intervened in response to a complaint in 2017, following which Wallace was warned of the need to change his behaviour.
2019 to 2024
One substantiated complaint about an inappropriate comment fell into this period.
November 2024
Wallace faced allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people across a range of shows over 17 years, BBC News reported.
The TV star stepped away from presenting MasterChef while Banijay, the show’s production company, announced that it was conducting an external review to ‘fully and impartially investigate’ the claims.
BBC News said allegations include the presenter ‘talking openly about his sex life, taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to “give her a fashion show”, and telling a junior female colleague he was not wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans’.
The charity Ambitious About Autism said it had dropped Wallace as an ambassador, citing the ‘recent allegations’.
Banijay UK confirmed it appointed law firm Lewis Silkin to lead the investigation into Wallace’s alleged behaviour.
December 2024
Wallace said in a video posted to Instagram that accusations about him making sexual comments towards staff and guests have come from ‘middle-class women of a certain age’.
Downing Street said Wallace’s response to the accusations being made against him was ‘inappropriate and misogynistic’.
A spokesperson added that Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had held talks with BBC bosses in the wake of the Wallace row.
Following the backlash, Wallace apologised for any ‘offence’ or ‘upset’ he caused with his remarks and said he would ‘take some time out’.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said politicians should be ready to put in place ‘mechanisms’ that would instil ‘confidence’ that women will be taken seriously in reports of inappropriate behaviour after a Labour MP asked him about ‘women of a certain age’, reflecting comments Wallace apologised for.
MasterChef co-presenter John Torode said in a social media post that he ‘loves being part of’ the programme and ‘will continue to be a part of it’.
April 2025
Wallace told the Daily Mail he ‘thought about suicide all the time’ after allegations of misconduct were made against him.
July 8-9, 2025
Wallace was sacked as MasterChef presenter following the inquiry into his alleged misconduct by production company Banijay.
BBC News said it had not seen the final review from Banijay but understood the presenter had been sacked.
In an Instagram post, the former greengrocer claimed he had been cleared of the ‘most serious and sensational accusations’ ahead of the published review.
He also said he recognised that some of his humour and language were inappropriate ‘at times’ and apologised for this.
July 14, 2025
The report by law firm Lewis Silkin for Banijay is published.
It says that a total of 45 out of the 83 allegations made against Wallace during his time on the show were substantiated, including one allegation of ‘unwelcome physical contact’.
It concludes that the ‘majority of the substantiated allegations against Mr Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour’, adding that ‘a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated’.
In the wake of the report’s findings, Banijay say that ‘Wallace’s return to MasterChef (is) untenable’.
Speaking on GMB, Shafi concluded by telling the hosts: ‘For me now, it’s not about John Torode and Gregg Wallace. It’s about the BBC and it’s about that accountability and enabling environment.’
In response to Metro’s request for comment, the BBC referred to their statement issued earlier this month.
The statement read in part: ‘After careful consideration and consultation with the contestants, we have decided to broadcast the amateur series of MasterChef on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 6 August. MasterChef is an amazing competition which is life-changing for the amateur chefs taking part. The focus of it has always been their skill and their journey.
‘This has not been an easy decision in the circumstances and we appreciate not everyone will agree with it. In showing the series, which was filmed last year, it in no way diminishes our view of the seriousness of the upheld findings against both presenters. We have been very clear on the standards of behaviour that we expect of those who work at the BBC or on shows made for the BBC.
‘However, we believe that broadcasting this series is the right thing to do for these cooks who have given so much to the process. We want them to be properly recognised and give the audience the choice to watch the series.’
Metro contacted Banijay and Gregg Wallace’s representatives for comment.
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