Pantomime star Christopher Biggins admitted that some of his past actions would have seen him “thrown in prison” as he defended former MasterChef host Gregg Wallace

Christopher Biggins admits ‘grabbing women by boobs’ as he defends Gregg Wallace

Christopher Biggins defended former MasterChef host Gregg Wallace as he admitted to ‘grabbing women by the t***ies’. The 76-year-old made the admission after Gregg was fired from MasterChef after 45 of the 83 complaints against him were upheld by an investigation into his conduct.

Gregg issued an apology saying he was “deeply sorry for any distress caused” and that he “never set out to harm or humiliate” in the wake of the Lewis Silkin review. He also insisted he is “not a groper, a sex pest or a flasher”.

And now, pantomime star Christopher has thrown his support behind Gregg as he revealed some of his past actions that would have seen him “thrown in prison”.

“Years ago I would approach a woman from behind and grab her t***ies from the front. Well, I’m gay so it didn’t matter,” he said. It comes after reports Gregg Wallace is trying to ‘earn a living’ after MasterChef exit amid ‘battle every day’.

Christopher Biggins defended MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace(Image: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

“And I’d like to still be doing it, but I don’t think I can any more,” Christopher added. “If I were to do that now I’d be put into prison. Twenty-five years ago we were all doing it. It was a thing of affection.”

The star added to The Sun that he tried to reach out to Gregg’s wife, as “they must be going through a terrible time”. There is no suggestion that Gregg grabbed anyone’s breasts.

Last month, Gregg again apologised to anyone hurt by his behaviour, before adding he is “not a groper, a sex pest or a flasher”.

In fresh comments to The Sun, Wallace acknowledged that he had said things that “offended people, that weren’t socially acceptable and perhaps they felt too intimidated or nervous to say anything at the time. I understand that now – and to anyone I have hurt, I am so sorry.”

Gregg Wallace was fired from MasterChef(Image: BBC)

He added: “I’m not a groper. People think I’ve been taking my trousers down and exposing myself – I am not a flasher. People think I’m a sex pest. I am not.”

The former greengrocer also said his recent autism diagnosis means he struggles “to read people”. “I know people find me weird,” he said. “Autism is a disability, a registered disability.”

Meanwhile, the current run of MasterChef episodes caused controversy after it was allowed to air with Gregg at the forefront despite a recent report upholding 45 claims against him.

The show has a substantially reduced viewership compared to last year, with a drop from 2.7 million to 1.96 million tuning in for the the series debut.