Former BBC star Gregg Wallace has opened up on feeling "suicidal" after being accused of "lewd and inappropriate behaviour" on the set of MasterChef. The 60-year-old cooking show presenter was accused of making sexual remarks to 13 colleagues - allegations which he strongly denies.

The complaints against him continue to be investigated, as Wallace stepped down from his hosting duties and has taken a break from being in the limelight. But now, the former MasterChef star has revealed how the scandal caused his mental health to suffer, admitting: "I thought about suicide all the time".

Gregg told Mail+: "The feeling of being under attack, of isolation, of abandonment was overwhelming. Nobody from the BBC contacted me once these stories started breaking – absolutely nobody at all.

"You don’t sleep. Your chest races. Your body feels like it’s shutting down because it can’t cope with the levels of stress. You feel really dirty and horrible because everybody is saying you’re a pervert. Women – big, respected personalities I thought I had a decent relationship with - were attacking me."

Speaking about how the backlash impacted his mental health and worries about his family, Gregg added: "I thought about suicide all the time, 'Is my insurance up to date? Will Anna get some money? She doesn’t deserve this. It would be better if I wasn’t here.'"

Banijay UK arranged for him to be supported by a crisis mentor who insisted he had a mental health screening. Gregg was diagnosed with profound autism.

Wallace previously branded his accusers "middle-class women of a certain age" in an Instagram video where he addressed accusations about his behaviour on MasterChef. In the recent interview, he claimed that doing so was the "biggest mistake" but it urged a a senior executive from the BBC to reach out to him.

The cooking show’s production company, Banijay UK, has said law firm Lewis Silkin is leading the investigation into Wallace’s alleged misconduct. The findings will be made public next month.

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