Gregg Wallace quit Inside The Factory after ‘offending female workers’
Gregg Wallace laments ‘boring’ role as he returns home
Gregg Wallace was initially thought to have left the show to care for his son Sid, three, who is autistic.
However, it has now emerged that an incident at the Nestlé UK factory in York, where Inside The Factory has been filmed on five different occasions, is believed to have prompted his departure in March.
Gregg is said to have offended certain female staff members with comments about their weight during a “friendly conversation”, The Times reports.
“He was rude towards staff and continued to talk in a derogatory manner, especially to women,” a source told the newspaper.
A representative of Greg Wallace has been contacted by Express.co.uk.
The comments were deemed “inappropriate” and a complaint was lodged with Voltage TV, the production company responsible for developing the show.
“He was given a talking-to and was appalled that he had caused such offence,” the source added.
“He felt that he was just trying to be friendly, but no longer knew what the right thing to say was anymore and decided to leave.”
A Nestlé UK insider has since confirmed the presenter unintentionally upset staff while filming the show, adding: “He comes in cracking jokes, but is from a very different world to our workers.”
Gregg, who presented the show for seven years, had already filmed upcoming episodes for the factual programme, which sees him delve into how goods are made.
Speaking on Gaby Roslin’s BBC Radio London show in March, Gregg had insisted he needed to step away from Inside The Factory because his son Sid, who is non-verbal and autistic, needs additional support with his education.
Gregg described his three-year-old boy as a “lovely, lovely little boy” with a “wonderful mother’” but admitted: “It’s not easy.”
He added: “As viewers know, to say I find the inside of factories fascinating is an understatement.
“I’ve never failed to be amazed by the scale of production, whether it’s conveyor belts full of tiny sweets or a double-decker bus rolling out of the factory for the very first time.
“For me, filming the show alongside my other TV and family commitments has always been a balance and as my son Sid’s needs become more challenging, I’ve decided the time has come to hang up my hairnet.
“We’ve already filmed 12 future episodes so viewers can see me enjoying lots more factories in my hi-viz jacket for a while to come yet.
“It’s a good time to stop doing it because there are actually 12 episodes in the can… so I wouldn’t have been filming for a while anyway, so it just seemed like a good idea to stop it.”
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