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John Torode has revealed that he was left “devastated” following the BBC’s decision to sack him from MasterChef.
The 61-year-old chef, who was born in Melbourne, presented the popular series for 20 years alongside Gregg Wallace.
Torode was removed from the cooking competition last year after a review into Wallace, who was also dismissed over alleged misconduct, upheld an allegation that he used “highly offensive racist language”.
It was later reported that the claims – which were upheld – related to a wrap party in 2019, when Torode sang along to the track “Gold Digger” by Kanye West.
Speaking during an interview with The Telegraph, Torode explained that he received the news via a call from his agent while he was on holiday.
“It was a shock,” he said.
“The shutters closed around me and I was devastated, absolutely, completely devastated.
“I put my heart and soul into that thing. I really worked very, very hard.”
Torode described the BBC as “a machine [that] spat me out”, adding that in his entire time with the broadcaster “nobody ever knocked on my door and said, ‘You can’t do this,’ or ‘This is a problem.’ Never, ever, ever, ever, ever”.
He also ruled out taking any potential legal action over his dismissal.
“To get embroiled in further conflict would only do damage,” he said.
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“It was a situation that was so shocking, so out of the blue, that there was nothing to be done to make a change in any way and to heal was going to take time.”
Torode previously claimed that he no longer has any interactions with his former presenting partner.
“When we filmed, we filmed and when we didn’t, we weren’t in touch. Why would it change now?” the Australian star, 61, said.
The comment echoes what Torode said about the pair’s relationship while MasterChef was still on the air. During an appearance on the BBC radio series Desert Island Discs, Torode stated: “[Wallace is] a friend, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t go to the pub with him, we’ve both not been to each other’s houses… we just don’t do it.”
Following his exit from the series, Torode established a YouTube channel – John and Lisa’s Kitchen and Home – which he runs with his wife, EastEnders and Holby City actress Lisa Faulkner.
In July, Faulkner revealed she had to have surgery because she was diagnosed with the early stages of breast cancer.