Penny Lancaster breaks silence for first time since husband Rod Stewart's 'tubby bully' Gregg Wallace rant
GB NEWS
MasterChef star Gregg Wallace stepped down from his role on Thursday amid misconduct complaints
Loose Women star Penny Lancaster has returned to social media for the first time since her husband Sir Rod Stewart, 79, publicly branded MasterChef star Gregg Wallace a "bully".
The singer, who was confirmed this week to perform at next year's Glastonbury, was reacting to the news that Wallace would be stepping down from his presenting roles at the Beeb.
The BBC received complaints from 13 individuals, including former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark, regarding allegations of inappropriate sexual comments made by Wallace over a 17-year period across five different programmes.
It hasn't been confirmed who the 13 individuals are or whether Lancaster was one of them but on Thursday evening, Stewart made it clear there was no love lost between his wife and the MasterChef star.
Defending his wife who appeared in the 2021 series of the celebrity cooking competition, Stewart blasted on Instagram: "So Greg Wallace gets fired from MasterChef. Good riddance Wallace...
"You humiliated my wife when she was on the show, but you had that bit cut out didn’t you?
"You’re a tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully. Karma got ya. Sir Rod Stewart," the singer brutally signed off. (sic)
Wallace broke his silence soon after Stewart's strongly-worded statement but opted against addressing the 79-year-old's remarks directly.
Instead, he told his followers: "I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reaching out and showing their support. That's good of you, thank you very much."
And while Stewart's public criticism was in defence of Lancaster, she too decided to ignore her husband's comments when she broke her cover on social media on Friday morning.
Gregg Wallace (right) has stepped away from MasterChef duties
BBC
Instead, Lancaster reposted an announcement from the nonprofit organisation, Menopause Mandate.
The post included a quote from Lancaster about a cause she holds close to her heart having endured a tumultuous time with her menopause misdiagnosis.
"So many more women need this information, and it all comes down to education," Lancaster's quote read. "It's crucial to pass on our stories and connect with one another."
While Lancaster may have avoided mentioning the scandal surrounding Wallace, several other stars have come forward.
In response to Stewart's post, 2024 Celebrity MasterChef star Charlotte Crosby shared her own damning verdict on the 60-year-old.
Meanwhile, a BBC spokesperson said of the saga: "We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them."
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Penny Lancaster broke social media cover for the first time after her husband's Gregg Wallace rant on Friday
The broadcaster confirmed that any behaviour falling below BBC standards would not be tolerated.
Wallace's lawyers have stated it is "completely false" that he engages in any behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
Last month, Wallace addressed previous allegations from 2018 on his Instagram Stories, saying: "This was investigated promptly when it happened six years ago by the BBC and the outcome of that was that I hadn't said anything sexual."
He added: "I'll need to repeat this again. I didn't say anything sexual."