Fired “Master Chef” blames autism - inappropriate behavior

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Gregg Wallace is expected to tell independent investigators that his sexually inappropriate behaviour could be linked to undiagnosed autism.

Friends of the MasterChef presenter are convinced that he suffers from a neurodiversity condition that explains his behaviour.

Banijay, the production company that makes the programme, announced last week that it was launching an investigation into complaints made against Wallace over his behaviour on the show. A law firm is conducting the inquiry.

The Telegraph understands that there is little chance of Wallace returning to the BBC, with corporation bosses alarmed by the deluge of complaints.

But Wallace, 60, is desperate to salvage his shredded reputation, and the investigation’s findings are critical if he wants to carry on working in broadcasting.

He is likely to raise the possibility he has autism with Lewis Silkin, the London law firm hired by Banijay. Friends said they were also planning to tell the lawyers the same thing in support of his case.

One source said: “We think Gregg has an undiagnosed condition, probably autism. If you look at symptoms of autism, he seems to fit those. The symptoms fit him. He tells inappropriate jokes, but it’s never been malicious. He just doesn’t understand that sometimes the jokes he tells just aren’t funny.”

One friend said: “It’s clear to me he probably has to work with a level of neurodiversity.”

A source said: “Many people close to him have over the years suggested he exhibits characteristics associated with autism spectrum disorder.”

Friends point to his obsessive behaviour, which includes an hour-by-hour weekend schedule, first disclosed in February and mocked at the time. They have also dug out official studies suggesting that inappropriate behaviour, including making sexual remarks, could be a sign of autism.

They point out that Wallace’s four-year-old son has been diagnosed with autism. Studies have shown a majority of autism cases are linked to inherited genes and tend to run in families. Sources suggested Wallace had not been keen to get an official diagnosis due to a sense of guilt at having possibly passed autism to his son, who is also non-verbal.

Dr Fiona Gullon-Scott, an autism expert and senior lecturer in clinical psychology at Newcastle University, said she had wondered if Wallace may have undiagnosed autism after seeing his extraordinary claim posted online that only “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age” had made complaints against him.

The comments were widely condemned and later withdrawn by Wallace, who said he had been under a “huge amount of stress”.

Dr Gullon-Scott said: “There are many undiagnosed autistic adults, particularly middle-aged and older, because our understanding of autism was far more limited 30 to 40 years ago than it is now. Those adults have often experienced a lifetime of being misunderstood, often disliked, sometimes misdiagnosed with other conditions.

As a clinician and psychologist, when I see someone behave in a way that makes others comment ‘Why would anyone do/say that?’ I often find myself wondering whether – rather than the assumption of rudeness or intent or malice – this may be a person with an undiagnosed difference.”

Concerns over Wallace’s behaviour stemmed in part from a four-month investigation by The Telegraph and another by the BBC. At least 13 women have made complaints about the presenter’s behaviour.

Wallace has denied behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.