Kerry Katona 'surprised' after John Torode's MasterChef axing over use of 'N-word'

Kerry Katona has spoken out about John Torode's MasterChef axe. The TV star, 59, was sacked from his position as a judge on the BBC programme following a historic accusation of racism just days after his co-star Gregg Wallace, 60, was also axed following an investigation into his behaviour.

Gregg initially stepped back from filming in November but lost his job on the show after an investigation upheld 45 out of 83 complaints against him. Meanwhile, Torode came forward as the unnamed person in the Lewis Silkin report, which was commissioned by the production firm Banjiay, in relation to Wallace's conduct.

And now, former Atomic Kitten singer Kerry, 44, has weighed in with her opinion on cancel culture.

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Kerry said: "There’s been drama unfolding around MasterChef, after claims against Gregg Wallace were investigated by the BBC. But I was surprised to see his co-host John Torode also involved."

An allegation against John for using “an extremely offensive racist term” was upheld, but it’s hard to pass judgment without knowing the details."

The I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! winner was quick to insist that she doesn't "condone racism in any form", but is also aware of just how "easy" it can be for someone in the public eye to be cancelled these days, she added in her OK! Magazine column. Last week, John confirmed he was the person alleged to have used racist language after an investigation into his former co-star. However, the former This Morning star said that he had no memory of making the comment and denies it ever happened.

Following the furore, he has now been sacked from the long-running show, with the BBC recently confirming: “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.

News of John's allegations emerged last Tuesday after production company Banijay said that an investigation into his co-star Wallace's behaviour by firm Lewis Silkin had "substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against" John. John, however, said in a statement: "I have no recollection of what I'm accused of."

The Sun reported that he repeated lyrics, containing the N-word, from Kanye West's song Gold Digger at an after-work ­gathering in 2019. He's then said to have used the word again whilst speaking to a member of the MasterChef production team.

However, BBC News has since reported that the upheld allegation relating to John using the racist slur was not in relation to the above incident. The publication reports the upheld allegation relates to an incident in 2018, in which it is claimed he used the same word on set after filming ended – and the slur was directed at a member of staff.

Meanwhile, the publication also reported that Torode was the subject of a total of nine complaints. There was a single upheld allegation of racist language and eight other allegations relating to different matters were rejected, the Mirror understands. The BBC, Banjiay and a representative for John declined to comment when initially contacted by the Mirror.

John denied the allegation in a statement which read: "Following publication of the Executive Summary of the investigation into Gregg Wallace while working on MasterChef, I am aware of speculation that I am one of the two other individuals against whom an allegation has been upheld.

"For the sake of transparency, I confirm that I am the individual who is alleged to have used racial language on one occasion. The allegation is that I did so sometime in 2018 or 2019, in a social situation, and that the person I was speaking with did not believe that it was intended in a malicious way and that I apologised immediately afterwards.

"I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe that it happened. However, I want to be clear that I've always had the view that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment. I'm shocked and saddened by the allegation as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence."

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