HE’S one of the best-loved foodie stars on the box but Gregg Wallace has been forced to step back from one of his favourite roles because he has too much on his plate.
I can reveal Gregg has quit his hit BBC One show Eat Well For Less after eight years at the helm.
Gregg has presented the show since 2013 with Chris Bavin, but after his popularity went through the roof he had to stand down.
He revealed: “I’ve loved working on the series with Chris but now it’s time to hand over the knife and fork to someone else to continue helping people eat well.”
It’s not hard to see why Gregg thought he needed to cut his workload. He’s just finished filming the next instalment of MasterChef with John Torode, which will air this spring, and also fronts the celebrity and professional version of the format.
On top of that, turn on your box and you’ll see more of Gregg than ever, as he’s fronting BBC Two’s Inside The Factory as well as his series South Africa With Gregg Wallace on ITV.
An insider said: “Gregg is hugely popular and is in demand from all the big broadcasters. Stepping back from Eat Well For Less wasn’t an easy decision but breaking free means he can focus on new projects after his current shows come off air.
“He finished filming MasterChef just before Christmas and now casting has started on the next series of Celebrity MasterChef. Gregg will start work on that in the next month or so.”
The insider added: “The MasterChef format alone keeps him so busy but Gregg wants to make sure he keeps his schedule as free as possible so he can take on new ventures without having to worry about having too much in his diary. It’s going to be a very exciting year for Gregg and he is looking forward to trying new things.”
Fans of the telly star will be able to see even more of him from today as he starts hosting a new fitness segment on The Jeremy Vine Show.
Gregg, who has lost four stone through diet and exercise, will be showing viewers how they can stay active while stuck at home.
If he’s not careful, Gregg will end up even busier than before.
STARS IN SKY’S NEW GALAXY
POLDARK’S Eleanor Tomlinson and Line Of Duty’s Craig Parkinson look unrecognisable as Candy and Dr Lee in new series Intergalactic.
Sky’s eight-part prison break drama, which imagines life “off-earth”, is bound for Sky One and NOW TV later this year.
Intergalactic tells the story of fearless young cop and space pilot Ash Harper (played by Savannah Steyn), who is wrongly convicted of a treacherous crime and exiled to a distant prison colony.
The show, penned by award-winning writer Julie Gearey, boasts a star-studded cast including This Is England’s Thomas Turgoose, Sex Education’s Sharon Duncan-Brewster and Peaky Blinders’ Natasha O’Keeffe.
Looks like it should be out of this world . . .
