Former MasterChef star Gregg Wallace has admitted that he was "scared of complaints" coming from young people, so he made the decision to stop socialising with them completely. The 60-year-old BBC star stepped down from his hosting duties on the popular cooking competition show five months ago due to allegations made against him.

Wallace had complaints lodged from 13 women about historical allegations of misconduct, which are still being investigated. The TV presenter has denied every claim that has been made against him. He was first disciplined by the BBC back in 2018 for inappropriate behaviour while working on a quiz show, which led to his decision not to socialise with certain people.

He allegedly told a young runner on the final day of filming that he'd "really enjoyed working with her, she was brilliantly clever, strikingly attractive and was going to do well". Wallace explained how the comment led to a complaint, sharing: "They said that was improper because it was a personal remark and sent me on a course on how to communicate with younger people, which just confused me even more."

The chef added: "I thought, 'F***, I don't have to do very much to get into a lot of trouble here." After the interaction landed Gregg in hot water, he even went as far as staying in his hotel room and ordering room service instead of joining other cast and crew members for drinks, claiming that he became a "social recluse".

Talking about the aftermath in a new interview, he explained: "My behaviours completely and utterly changed from 2018 and that's why there are no complaints in this big investigation after 2018. It changed me completely and I never got into trouble again.

"But the way I did it was to become a social recluse. I refused to do anything social at work, wouldn't go to the pub with anyone, to the point where when we went out on location everybody else would go out for dinner and I would stay in my hotel room.

"I wouldn't socialise. I stopped any social conversations with younger people that I didn't know very well." He went on to explain his anxiety levels as "extraordinary".

Gregg's lawyers have said that it was entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.