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Gregg Wallace's furious statement in full as he slams BBC firing - 'I won't go quietly'

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Gregg Wallace has issued a furious statement on social media today. He has claimed that the Silkin's Report into his alleged misconduct"exonerates him of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year".

The MasterChef star alleged that the report "finds me primarily guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018". However, it has been claimed he has been let go by the BBC and has made a string of new allegations against the broadcaster.

Writing in a lengthy post shared on social medial, he said: "I've taken the decision to speak out ahead of the publication of the Silkins report - a decision I do not take lightly. But after 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others.

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"I have now been cleared by the Silkins report of the most serious and sensational accusations made against me. The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six month investigation."

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He added: "My decision to go public now is also driven by the fact the BBC News division are intending to platform legally unsafe accusations, including claims which have already been investigated and not upheld by the BBC and found not credible by Silkins.

"The BBC is no longer providing balanced and impartial public service journalism. It is peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories. The BBC is choosing to allow BBC News to run with this uncorroborated tittle tattle in an attempt to 'get ahead' of the Silkin's summary report and derail what has been an extremely thorough process."

Gregg accused the BBC of "chasing slanderous clickbait". Continuing his furious statement, he added: "This feels to me like BBC News is chasing slanderous click-bait rather than delivering impartial journalism.

"To be clear, the Silkin's Report exonerates me of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year and finds me primarily guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018. I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise without reservation. But I was never the caricature now being sold for clicks."

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He said: "I was hired by the BBC and MasterChef as the cheeky greengrocer. A real person with warmth, character, rough edges and all. For over two decades, that authenticity was part of the brand. Now, in a sanitised world, that same personality is seen as a problem.

"My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of Master Chef. Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over twenty years. That failure is now being quietly buried."

Gregg alleges the full report will never be seen and concluded his statement saying that the "full story of this incredible injustice must be told and it is very much a matter of public interest".

He wrote: "Unfortunately, the full report (over 200 pages) will never be seen. Later this week, the BBC will publish a short Executive Summary. What really concerns me about the short summary is others who have been found guilty of serious allegations have been erased from the published version of events. I, and I'm sure the public, would like to know why?

"I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience. I was tried by media and hung out to dry well before the facts were established. The full story of this incredible injustice must be told and it is very much a matter of public interest."

The BBC have been contacted by The Mirror for comment.

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