Gregg Wallace is a television presenter and media personality who is probably best known for co-presenting and judging MasterChef with Australian chef John Torode. However, he has worked on various other television series and has a variety of former and ongoing business ventures. Although he is well-known in the UK, there are many Gregg Wallace facts that people do not know.
After beginning his career on television in 2002, he has become increasingly popular, and he is now a regular on television screens across the UK. Despite his fame, many people know little more about him than that he presents food-related programs. So, what are some facts about Gregg Wallace that you may find interesting? To help you learn more about this man, here are 25 Gregg Wallace facts that you probably didn’t know.
Gregg Wallace Facts: 25 Things You Might Not Know
Gregg Wallace Facts: His Personal Life
- Where Was Gregg Wallace Born?
According to his personal website, Gregg Wallace was born in Peckham, South East London, on October 17, 1964.
2. Is Gregg Wallace Married?
Gregg Wallace has not been as lucky in love as in his career, as he has been divorced three times. He married his first wife, Christine, in 1991, and the marriage lasted just six weeks. Wallace then married Denise, a former pastry chef, in 1999. Unfortunately, they separated in 2004. The presenter went on to marry his third wife, Heidi, in 2010. After just 15 months of marriage, Wallace went through his third divorce. Anne-Marie Sterpini is Gregg Wallace’s fourth wife, and he met her via Twitter in 2013. She is almost 22 years younger than Wallace. Their 2016 wedding took place at Hever Castle in Kent. According to What’s On TV, John Torode was the best man at their wedding. Wallace said he feels John Torode has always been there for him, and they have been through so much together.
3. Where Does Gregg Wallace Live?
Since 2017, Gregg Wallace has lived in a picturesque countryside village called Biddenden in Kent. He bought his stunning home for £1 million.
4. Does Gregg Wallace Have Children?
From two of his marriages, Gregg Wallace has three children. He has a son and a daughter, Tom and Libby, from his second marriage. Wallace also has a son, Sid, from his current marriage to Anne-Marie Sterpini. Sid was born in May 2019, and Wallace has not ruled out having more children, despite being an older parent.
5. A Health Scare Led to Him Losing Weight
One of the Gregg Wallace facts that many people do not know is that he had a health scare. His doctor told him that he had high cholesterol levels, and this significantly increased the risk of suffering a heart attack. The presenter knew that he needed to take action to lose weight, increase his fitness, lower his cholesterol levels, and improve his overall health. Weightwatchers approached him in 2013 to take part in their weight loss program, and he eventually lost more than three stone.
Gregg Wallace’s Career Before Television
6. He Began His Career as a Greengrocer
At the beginning of his working life, Gregg Wallace worked at a Covent Garden fruit and vegetable stall. It was there that he learned about food and using locally-sourced and seasonal produce in cooking.
7. He Had a Multi-Million Pound Business
While working on the food and veg stall, someone suggested to Wallace he should set up his own business, He established George Allan’s Greengrocers in 1989. Eventually, this company’s annual turnover was an estimated £7.5 million.
8. Gregg Wallace Has Never Worked as a Chef
People often mistakenly believe that Gregg Wallace has experience working as a chef. However, that is not the case as he has never worked in a kitchen or had any culinary training. Despite his lack of professional cooking experience, he is passionate about food, and this is evident from his television appearances.
9. He Was on the Radio Before the Television
Although he is usually associated with MasterChef, Gregg Wallace had already entered the media industry several years before. Due to his business success, BBC Radio 4 asked him to co-present ‘Veg Talk’ with Charlie Hicks. It was a successful radio program that was on air for seven years.
Gregg Wallace Facts: His Television Career
10. He Was the First Presenter of ‘Saturday Kitchen’
Wallace’s first television job was presenting ‘Saturday Kitchen’. He was the first presenter of the weekend cooking program. After a year, Antony Worrall Thompson took over presenting the series. Others who have presented this series include Andi Oliver and James Martin.
11. He Has Presented MasterChef Since 2005
Gregg Wallace is best known for co-presenting and judging MasterChef with Australian chef John Torode. He began presenting the televised cooking competition in 2005. He has since become the presenter on several spin-off series, including MasterChef: The Professionals and Celebrity MasterChef. His co-presenters and co-judges on MasterChef: The Professionals are Monica Galetti and Marcus Wareing, although Anna Haugh temporarily replaced Galetti.
12. Wallace is a Co-Presenter of ‘Eat Well for Less?’
Another series with which Greg Wallace is associated is ‘Eat Well for Less?’, which he co-presents with Chris Bavin. He began presenting this series in 2013. Wallace also co-presented ‘Inside the Factory’ with Cherry Healey in 2015.
13. Wallace Has Been a Game Show Host
One of the interesting Gregg Wallace facts that many people do not know is that he was once a game show presenter. In 2015, he was the presenter of ‘Time Commanders’, which was a revived version of a historical game show that aired on the BBC.
14. Gregg Wallace Has Presented Documentaries
Although Gregg Wallace is known for his fun-loving and jovial personality, he can show his serious side when presenting documentaries. He was the presenter of two editions of ‘The Money Programme’ that looked at the changing attitudes to food and food trends during the financial crisis in 2008-2009. In 2013, he presented ‘Supermarket Secrets’, a documentary series about sourcing and distribution in supermarkets.
15. He Has Made Multiple Guest Appearances on Television
Due to his popularity with the public, Gregg Wallace has made guest appearances on many series. Some of these include ‘Just the Two of Us’, ‘Turn Back Time: The High Street’, ‘Room 101’, ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’, ‘An Extra Slice’, ‘The Chase Celebrity Special’, and ‘Celebrity Catchphrase’.
Gregg Wallace’s Other Professional Ventures
16. He Has Owned Several Restaurants
Despite his lack of culinary experience, Gregg Wallace was a restaurateur, opening his first restaurant, Wallace & Co, in Putney, London, in 2010. Two years later, he collaborated with Bermondsey Square Hotel to open Gregg’s Bar & Grill, which was within the hotel on Bermondsey Square. He also owned a company called West Veg Limited. His first business failure came in 2013 when West Veg Limited folded. A year later, both his restaurants folded.
17. He Writes for Magazines
After years working in various aspects of the food industry and presenting food-related television series, many people consider Gregg Wallace as an expert. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that he is a regular food writer for several magazines. These include
18. He Has Had Seven Books Published
During his career, Gregg Wallace has published seven books. Six of these are cookbooks, and his first was ‘Veg: The Greengrocer’s Cookbook’, published in 2006. His most recent cookbook, published in 2019, was ‘Gregg’s Italian Family Cookbook’. Wallace’s other publication was his 2014 autobiography ‘Life on a Plate: The Autobiography’.
19. Wallace Was a Contestant on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’
Wallace stepped out of his comfort zone in 2014 when he became a contestant on the television dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing. His professional dance partner for the series was Aliona Vilani. Wallace’s time on the series was short-lived, as the public voted him off in the second week.
20. He Has His Own Fitness Brand
Following his health scare and subsequent weight loss, Gregg Wallace became passionate about fitness. It led to him launching his own fitness website, ShowMe.Fit, with his wife. For a fee, people can subscribe to the site for motivation, nutritional information, and revive workouts. Wallace devised the program in collaboration with his personal trainer Danny Rai.
Other Interesting Gregg Wallace Facts
21. Italy and France Are His Favorite Countries
Although Gregg Wallace has travelled the world while presenting MasterChef, his two favourite destinations are Italy and France. In both cases, it is because of the food. He told World of Cruising that it is the incredible food heritage that attracts him to these countries.
22. He is a Millwall Fan
Wallace loves football, and he is a lifelong fan of Millwall Football Club, He first watched this team play when he was a child growing London, and remains loyal to his team to this day.
23. He Also Loves Rugby
Although he is a Millwall Football Club fan, Gregg Wallace is also passionate about rugby. The team he supports is Wasps Rugby Football Club, and he has done so ever since the team played at Loftus Road in London. He continues to support them, despite their move to Ricoh Area in Coventry.
24. Wallace Has Been Involved in Some Controversies
Gregg Wallace is no stranger to controversy, and he has attracted attention due to his opinions. When Paul Hollywood moved to Channel 4, Gregg Wallace supported his decision. Some people were critical of this as the BBC employs him. According to The Sun, Wallace also caused controversy by disagreeing with Mary Berry’s campaign to have deep fat fryers banned.
25. Gregg Wallace’s Net Worth is £3.9 Million
Through his business ventures, his books, and his work on television, Gregg Wallace has become a rich man. He has an estimated net worth of £3.9 million, says The Telegraph. However, he is not one of the richest celebrity chefs in the world.
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