"I was never the caricature now being sold for clicks," Wallace responded in a statement posted to Instagram on Tuesday.

The boss of Banijay UK, whose report into Gregg Wallace will publish imminently, addressed the scandal last night at a dinner for press, producers and talent just hours after reports emerged that Wallace has been fired from MasterChef.

In a lengthy statement, Gregg Wallace confirmed that he has been sacked from the BBC and vowed to "not go out quietly".