Lisa Faulkner has broken her silence after her husband John Torode was sacked as judge on MasterChef following an allegation of racism.
John Torode and Lisa Faulkner first met on Celebrity MasterChef(Image: Joe Maher/Getty Images)
John Torode’s wife Lisa Faulkner has broken her online silence following her husband’s sacking from MasterChef. She’s spoken after it was confirmed Torode’s contract with the BBC series would not be renewed due to a historic allegation of racism.
In a video posted on her Instagram on Monday night, July 28, the actress told fans: “Hi there, I just wanted to check in and say hello. I’m here and just thank you for all your lovely comments because they really, really mean a lot. So thank you.”
Lisa, 53, married Torode in 2019. This is the second marriage for the pair, with the former Holby City actress previously being with Chris Coghill, known for his role as Tony King in EastEnders. They share an adopted daughter named Billie.
Torode’s ex-wife is Jessica, and they have two children together. The former MasterChef star, 59, also has two older children from a previous relationship, reports the Mirror.
Lisa and Torode first met when Lisa competed on Celebrity MasterChef back in 2010, forming a strong friendship that eventually blossomed. The pair hit it off immediately, maintaining their friendship after filming, but Lisa insists there was no initial romantic spark.
John Torode and Gregg Wallace were recently dismissed from their long-running positions on the BBC show.(Image: BBC/Shine TV)
“He was a judge on a show I loved and I was petrified of him. He was brilliant and gave us all tips so you didn’t want to let him down,” she recalled.
“All I could think was, ‘That sauce hasn’t worked’. I didn’t see anything but food for three months. After I won, we did The Good Food Show and stuff. John and I always got on, but I never thought about me and him.”
John Torode’s contract with MasterChef will not be renewed, as confirmed by the BBC and production company Banijay UK. The Australian-born presenter, 59, began co-hosting MasterChef with Gregg Wallace in 2005.
Torode acknowledged that he was the subject of a complaint regarding the use of racist language, which was upheld during a review conducted by law firm Lewis Silkin into the alleged behaviour of his co-presenter Gregg Wallace.
Banijay UK issued a statement saying: “In response to John Torode’s statement, it is important to stress that Banijay UK takes this matter incredibly seriously. The legal team at Lewis Silkin that investigated the allegations relating to Gregg Wallace also substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against John Torode which occurred in 2018.
“This matter has been formally discussed with John Torode by Banijay UK, and whilst we note that John says he does not recall the incident, Lewis Silkin have upheld the very serious complaint. Banijay UK and the BBC are agreed that we will not renew his contract on MasterChef.”
The report from Lewis Silkin, commissioned by Banijay UK, found that 45 out of 83 allegations against Wallace were substantiated, along with two standalone allegations made against other individuals, including one for using racist language.
Torode acknowledged he was the individual accused of racist language but stated he had “no recollection of the incident” and was “shocked and saddened” by the allegation.
A BBC spokesperson commented: “John Torode has identified himself as having an upheld allegation of using racist language against him. This allegation – which involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace- was investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by the law firm, Lewis Silkin. John Torode denies the allegation.
“He has stated he has no recollection of the alleged incident and does not believe that it happened. He also says that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment.
“The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously. We will not tolerate racist language of any kind and, as we have already said, we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken. John Torode’s contract on MasterChef will not be renewed.”
Despite Torode’s MasterChef dismissal, he has continued to grace television screens alongside Lisa for their own programme. An insider close to ITV confirmed to the Mirror that their scheduling for John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen ‘remains unchanged’ despite John’s dismissal from MasterChef.
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