Disgraced Masterchef star Gregg Wallace has been criticised by disability charities after blaming his inappropriate behaviour on his autism.
Several organisations have rejected claims that the former BBC presenter’s misconduct, which included an allegation that he exposed himself while not wearing any underwear, was partly due to his condition.
Supporters of the 60-year-old said his autism caused an ‘inability to wear underwear because of his autistic hypersensitivity to labels and tight clothing’ and also meant he had an ‘oddity of filters and boundaries’, The Times reported.
One charity which hit back at the claims told BBC News that autism is ‘not a free pass for bad behaviour’, adding that such comments ‘stigmatise’ autistic people and ‘add an unfortunate negative focus on our community’.
Another expressed similar condemnation, saying that ‘being autistic is never an excuse for misconduct’ and having the condition ‘doesn’t absolve anyone of responsibility’.
Wallace was fired from BBC MasterChef following a nine-month sexual misconduct investigation, with reports that 50 more people had made fresh claims against him over his alleged inappropriate behavior.
The greengrocer turned presenter insists that his at-times off-colour jokes and ‘banter’ were a sign that his autism meant he ‘didn’t know what was right’ to say in social situations.
He reportedly plans to sue the BBC and production company Banijay for alleged discrimination and has accused them of failing to provide enough support for his condition.
Disgraced Masterchef star Gregg Wallace (pictured) has been criticised by disability charities after friends blamed his inappropriate behaviour on his autism
Supporters of the 60-year-old (pictured) said his autism caused an ‘inability to wear underwear because of his autistic hypersensitivity to labels and tight clothing’
Friends of Wallace yesterday told The Times that he suffers from ‘autistic hypersensitivity’ which means he has an ‘oddity of filters and boundaries’.
The condition also means has ‘an exaggerated sensory experience’ which means he is hypersensitive to ‘labels and tight clothing’ and is therefore unable to wear underwear.
Wallace had earlier said himself that he felt the BBC failed to provide enough support for his condition during his 20 years working on Masterchef.
‘My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef,’ Wallace said.
‘Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years.’
But the comments have not gone down well with neurodiversity charities, who rejected the notion that his condition could be attributed to his alleged behaviour in any way.
Seema Flower, the founder of disabilities consultancy Blind Ambition, told BBC News there was ‘no excuse’ for any form of inappropriate behaviour in society.
She also questioned what sort of precedent it sets using autism ‘as an excuse to behave in whatever way we like’.
Friends of Gregg Wallace have said his autism is partly responsible for his inappropriate behaviour, it was reported last night
Gregg’s statement claimed that he should have been better protected while working at Masterchef
Emily Banks, founder of Enna – a charity that provides training for companies in hiring and retaining neurodivergent people – also told BBC News: ‘To be clear: being autistic is never an excuse for misconduct.
‘It doesn’t absolve anyone of responsibility, and it certainly doesn’t mean you can’t tell the difference between right and wrong,’ she added.
Her comments were echoed by Dan Harris, founder the Neurodiversity in Business charity, who is himself autistic.
He said that while autistic people like him ‘may miss social cues sometimes’, the condition ‘is not a free pass for bad behaviour’.
Critics online have also taken aim at Wallace, including several people with autism, who have called him ‘diabolically shameless’ for claiming his neurodiversity is a contributing factor for his unacceptable behaviour.
Elsewhere, the boss of a charity supporting victims of sexual abuse reacted with anger over the claims from Wallace and his friends.
Duncan Craig OBE said: ‘It’s clear that Gregg Wallace is not ready to take accountability for his actions, instead blame his behaviour on autism
‘As the CEO of a sexual harms charity, and a survivor myself, I know survivors will be incensed by this gaslighting. I stand with you all’.
Gregg Wallace (pictured) will sue the BBC for failing to support him and his neurodiversity, a friend has claimed
Writing on Instagram, Gregg said he had taken the decision to go public before the Silkins report was published as ‘he cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged’
On Tuesday the BBC received 50 new claims over Wallace, including that he groped a worker on the show.
Out of the 50 new accusers, 11 claim to have been the subject of inappropriate sexual behaviour such as groping and touching. The vast majority of other claims relate to inappropriate sexual comments.
Later the same day, Gregg released a statement ahead of the investigation into his misconduct allegations being published later this week.
Wallace denied the claims and condemned the corporation in a scathing social media post saying he had been cleared of ‘the most serious and sensational accusations’.
He appeared to suggest the newest accusations, many of which are reported to have been made by young female freelancers, are ‘legally unsafe’, and claims some of them were previously investigated and not upheld by the BBC.
Wallace also accused the BBC of allowing its News arm to publish ‘uncorroborated tittle tattle’ to ‘get ahead’ of the Silkin report.
A friend of the star has told the Times that the BBC’s handling of the situation is ‘outrageous’, : ‘he’s going to take them to the cleaners’.
‘Gregg is guilty of bad jokes and rough humour. But so many people on the show talked openly about suspecting that he had autism for years before he got his diagnosis,’ the source added.
The Masterchef presenter hit out at bosses in a scathing post over his sacking, and is now reportedly considering taking the BBC to a tribunal (pictured with co-host John Torode)
BBC sources have furiously insisted to MailOnline that its News arm remains editorially independent of other parts of the broadcaster, and that it has not had sight of the document.
A BBC spokesperson previously told MailOnline: ‘Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace.
‘We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.’
In response to the latest allegations, a spokesperson for Wallace told the BBC: ‘Gregg continues to co-operate fully with the ongoing Banijay UK review and as previously stated, denies engaging in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.’
