Celebrity MasterChef 2025: Why is John Torode presenting the cooking competition show despite being fired?

The pair were fired by the BBC following an investigation into behaviour on set. Wallace was accused of making sexually explicit comments, inappropriate jokes and bullying among other claims, while Torode admitted that he had been the subject of an upheld complaint concerning the alleged use of racist language.

However, some viewers may have been perplexed to see John Torode still on screen when Celebrity Masterchef hit screens on Monday evening following the high profile fallout from the scandal. Here’s everything you need to know.

What happened to John Torode?

Amid the fallout of the Lewis Silkin report into the behaviour on the set of the cooking competition show, complaints were upheld against both Gregg Wallace and John Torode, both of whom had presented the show since 2005.

45 of the 83 comments made against Wallace were upheld, including sexually inappropriate jokes and explicit comments, bullying, culturally insensitive comments, being in a state of undress, sexualised comments and unwanted physical contact. Wallace was permanently sacked after being suspended for a number of months.

One incident mentioned in the report included an investigation into allegations that one person on set had used racist language. Torode later admitted that he was the person at the centre of this incident. The Australian chef, 60, said at the time that he had “no recollection of the incident”, adding that he was “shocked and saddened” by the claim.

Shortly after the publication of the claim, the BBC and Banijay UK, the production company behind MasterChef, announced that it would not be renewing Torode’s contract, effectively sacking him from the show.

Why is John Torode still on Celebrity MasterChef?

So, why is Torode still being seen on screen presenting the latest series of Celebrity MasterChef? This is because the current celebrity series was filmed before the report was published, with Torode and food critic Grace Dent at the helm of the show.

Dent replaced Wallace during his suspension from the show and has since been confirmed as the new permanent host of upcoming MasterChef seasons alongside chef Anna Haugh, who replaces Torode.

Following the departure of Wallace and Torode amid a flurry of scandal, the BBC was forced to make a decision on whether to air the remaining seasons that had already been filmed with Wallace and Torode’s involvement. The civilian series of MasterChef, which still featured both Wallace and Torode in an adapted edit, aired in early August, around one month after the Lewis Silkin report was published.

The BBC said in a statement that they would be airing the completed show as planned, with the decision to air the Celebrity MasterChef series following this.

As for the upcoming Christmas specials, The Mirror reports that the BBC have opted to film two new special episodes for this year’s seasonal programming without Wallace or Torode’s involvement. This is instead of airing the 2024 episodes that were initially cancelled in the wake of allegations against Wallace. As a result, the 2024 episodes, starring celebs such as Love Island star Luca Bish, The Wanted’s Max George and Strictly dancers Amy Dowden, and Gorka Marquez among many others, will remain unaired.