There is 'little chance' of Gregg Wallace returning to the BBC as the TV star prepares to blame 'autism' for his alleged inappropriate behaviour.
The MasterChef presenter is not expected to return to the broadcaster, as bosses are reportedly alarmed at the growing wave of complaints against the 60-year-old.
MailOnline revealed last week that although Wallace has never been 'formally diagnosed', his close friends believe he displays 'all classic symptoms' of autism including an inability to judge social situations and having a 'lighter filter on the subject of sex'.
A close therapist friend of Wallace, who did not want to be named, claims the MasterChef judge has never been tested for autism.
This is, they said, due a feeling of responsibility he may have passed down the neurological and developmental disorder to his four-year son Sid, who is severely autistic and non-verbal.
The former greengrocer, 60, announced he was stepping back from the show after nearly 20 years on Thursday while an investigation into his alleged misconduct is carried out.
Wallace last week faced accusations of inappropriate behaviour from 13 people, including Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, over a 17-year period across five shows from 2005 to 2022.
Wallace faces accusations he told a junior female colleague he wasn't wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans, wandered into the studio naked apart from a sock on his penis and mimicked a sex act on a producer when she knelt down to clean his trousers.
Wallace seen with Ms Sterpini at the wedding of Lisa Faulkner and John Torode in Banbury, Oxfordshire, in October 2019
A friend said of Wallace (pictured with Torode): 'Gregg carries many of the autistic symptoms, the people who know him best have been saying it for years'
The latest allegations include one woman who said Wallace groped her, another who claims he pressed his crotch against her while filming BBC show Eat Well For Less and a third who alleged he flashed her in his dressing room.
Despite this Wallace remains desperate to repair his reputation and the investigation's findings are critical if he wants to continue appearing on screen.
He is likely to raise the possibility he has autism with Lewis Silkin, the London law firm hired by Banijay. The suggestion he may never return to the BBC was reported by the Telegraph.
The friend said: 'Gregg carries many of the autistic symptoms, the people who know him best have been saying it for years.
'He's never formally been tested, due a feeling of responsibility over Sid's diagnosis, but he really should be as it may explain a lot about his actions.
'Gregg has form for his inability to read the room, saying things that don't really belong in the moment. He has no filter and in social situations that can become dangerous, especially when it comes to jokes about sex.
'He has a light filter when it comes to sex which is common in people on the spectrum. In the modern world of TV where you can't just dismiss some of his actions as banter.'
It comes as under-fire BBC bosses said MasterChef Christmas specials would be pulled in a major U-turn, having previously said it would continue airing all filmed episodes.
Last year, Wallace was named as an ambassador for charity Ambitious About Autism and has also been praised for raising awareness about the condition by documenting Sid's journey to his social media followers.
However, in February this year, he received a backlash after an interview with the Daily Telegraph went viral after Wallace claimed he spent more time playing computer games than interacting with Sid during an article described as his typical Saturday at home.
MailOnline can reveal Wallace, 60, has never been 'formally diagnosed' with autism, but his close pals believe he displays 'all classic symptoms'
Wallace pictured at home with his wife, Anne-Marie Sterpini
Wallace broke his silence on Thursday after officially stepping down from his position, thanking his fans for their support.
The BBC claims that Gregg walked away from MasterChef after BBC News sent a letter to his agent a week ago on Tuesday, setting out the allegations and giving him a right of reply.
They say he was warned after a complaint was raised in 2018, but new historical claims emerged over the summer of 2024.
Gregg is 'committed to fully cooperating throughout the process', the show's production company Banijay UK said.
Restaurant critic William Sitwell defended Wallace on Friday, revealing in the Daily Telegraph his friend is 'always genuinely interested in the wellbeing of people around him.
'The health, the wealth, or otherwise, of those he works with, of his friends and very large circle of acquaintances. And he's equally open about his own life, sometimes quite extraordinarily so.'
Plus, he also said he tells jokes 'like he's running a Bernard Manning comedy.'
Wallace has denied behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
