Gregg Wallace has revealed he is moving to Italy after being forced to sell his ‘enormous’ £1million Kent mansion following his BBC axing.
The former MasterChef host, 61, was dismissed by the broadcasting giant last July after an investigation into 83 historical allegations of workplace misconduct, with 45 accusations against him subsequently upheld.
Gregg later sued the BBC and BBC Studios Distribution Limited for up to £10,000 in damages over allegations they failed to disclose his personal data, which caused him ‘distress and harassment’, before dropping his claim in February.
The ex broadcaster took to Instagram on Monday to confirm his ‘new chapter’ as he prepares to quit the UK in order to head to travel Italy with his family.
Gregg further announced his plan to homeschool his young son – who is autistic and non-verbal.
However, Gregg’s Italian adventure isn’t the only home he is purchasing as he revealed he is planning to buy a ‘much more modest’ house in Yorkshire – close to where his daughter lives.
Speaking in a new social media video, he said: ‘We are decluttering the house and we are going to put it on the market.
‘We plan to buy a much more modest house in Yorkshire where my daughter lives and then spend five months of each year in Italy.
Gregg Wallace has revealed he is moving to Italy after being forced to sell his ‘enormous’ £1million Kent mansion following his BBC axing
The ex-broadcaster took to Instagram on Monday to confirm his ‘new chapter’ as he prepares to quit the UK in order to head to travel Italy with his family; pictured with wife Anna
‘My wife is Italian. I’ve always loved Italy and we plan to move around and rent in different places which is quite an adventure and with the help of my autism specialist mates, I am going to homeschool Sid as well.
‘It is a new chapter for us. It is a life that should be full of travel and adventure and I’m very very much looking forward too it.’
It comes after Gregg revealed earlier this month that he is selling his £1million Kent home after being left ‘unable to live the life he used to have’.
The ex BBC star plans to sell the ‘enormous’ home which sits on five acres of land along with its stables and pond.
Gregg, who bought the home back in 2017, said he was making the move not only for a slower pace of life but also to ensure financial security for younger wife Anne-Marie, 38, and son Sid, six, who has been diagnosed with autism.
He said: ‘I can’t have the life I used to have but whether you chose to believe it or not, I really wanted to come out of that anyway, but obviously not in the dramatic way that I did.
‘I want to ease off a little bit, I want to relax a little bit. but that also comes with wanting financial security for me and my family because I’ve got a wife that is much younger than me and a special needs little boy, Sid.’
He went on: ‘I want to relax a bit but I also want to make sure I can have a certain lifestyle and that I leave a legacy for my family. That’s not easy to do.
‘So my plan is to sell this enormous house and buy a more modest house. I’ll work less and possibly spend half of the year in Italy making adventures for my family because we love Italy.’
It comes after Gregg said he was studying to be an autism coach after discontinuing a High Court claim against the BBC.
Inspired by his son Sid, who is autistic and nonverbal, Gregg is now channeling his time into teaching children and adults diagnosed with the condition to live self-sufficient lives.
Gregg further announced his plan to homeschool his young son – who is autistic and non-verbal
However, Gregg’s Italian adventure isn’t the only home he is purchasing as he revealed he is planning to buy a ‘much more modest’ house in Yorkshire – close to where his daughter lives
It’s the latest in a series of online ventures for the ex-presenter, who has also earned money through personalised video messages and promotional videos – most recently for a range of non-stick ceramic pans.
In a Substack post shared in January, he claimed the investigation process was ‘not a legal one’ and that ‘the standard of proof would not stand up in a court of law’, comparing it instead to an internal human resources (HR) process.
He alleged an ‘open invitation’ was sent out asking anyone who had ‘ever worked with me (or met me) to come forward and tell their stories’ after his reputation was already ‘being dragged through the mud’.
The former presenter, who co-hosted MasterChef with John Torode, 60, for nearly 20 years, pointed out that he had interacted with ‘tens of thousands of people’ over his career, including six new contestants every filming day, changing film crews, other show participants, and attendees at charity events and industry parties.
‘Now, imagine that out of all those people, anyone with a grievance, a dislike, or a misremembered moment is encouraged to join in the investigation into you,’ he wrote. ‘Do you think you would survive without any complaints being made against you?’
He claimed that ‘all but one’ of the 45 upheld complaints dated from before 2018, when he says he received a formal warning about his language.
A preliminary hearing into his claim for £10,000 in damages was cancelled shortly before it was due to take place on February 16, with a BBC spokesperson later confirming that Wallace had discontinued the claim.
They said: ‘Shortly in advance of a hearing, due February 16, Gregg discontinued his claim.
‘He is not receiving any payment in costs or damages from either BBC or BBC Studios.’
It comes after Gregg revealed he is selling his £1M Kent home, which sits on five acres of land along with its stables and pond, after being left ‘unable to live the life he used to have’
Gregg began co-presenting MasterChef in 2005, but it was announced in November 2024 that he would step away from his role while the misconduct allegations were investigated.
A review by law firm Lewis Silkin later upheld 45 of the 83 allegations against him, which mostly occurred between 2005 and 2018 and included one of ‘unwelcome physical contact’.
It said 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’.
Gregg issued an apology saying he was ‘deeply sorry for any distress caused’ and that he ‘never set out to harm or humiliate’.
