MasterChef star Gregg Wallace’s four marriages including one that lasted six weeks

Gregg Wallace has fronted MasterChef for nearly two decades and has now stepped down from the show after allegations of historical misconduct.

He started off his career selling vegetables before transitioning into TV work.

While he has spoken about his personal life before, many may not know that he has been married four times.

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Childhood

Gregg was born on 17 October 1964, making him 60 years old. He is originally from Peckham in London, England.

He left school at the age of 15 and began working in a warehouse at Covent Garden Fruit and Veg Market. He sold vegetables at a stand and later became a salesman. He was then inspired to start his own business.

Gregg previously shared that he was sexually abused when he was a child. In his 2012 autobiography Life on a Plate, he wrote: “I imagine my experience is typical. You feel guilty, you feel like you’re playing some part in it – sorry I’m getting a bit emotional – and of course you haven’t,” he said.

“I wanted people to know because it happens because it’s people that you like and that you're close to - it's not someone standing in a mac in an alleyway,” he added.

“It's someone whose appearance to the rest of the world is that of a decent person. It’s an awful thing.”

Career

Over the years, he started George Allan's Greengrocers before opening Wallace & Co, Gregg's Bar & Grill and West Veg Limited.

Gregg eventually launched his TV career when he was invited to co-present Veg Talk on BBC Radio 4 with Charlie Hicks - the programme lasted seven years.

He has also fronted several other shows, including Saturday Kitchen, The Money Programme, Eat Well for Less?, Time Commanders, Gregg Wallace's Magical Christmas Market, South Africa with Gregg Wallace and more.

Gregg co-hosted the BBC cooking show MasterChef, alongside John Torode, from 2005 until November 2024.

Marriage

Gregg has been married four times. He and his first wife Christine tied the knot in 1991, but divorced the same year. They met while he was working in a Greengrocer's shop, however, their marriage only lasted six weeks before they split. He described it as “shortest marriage in the world” in his autobiography.

In 1999, the married pastry chef Denise. They welcomed two children together, son Tom and daughter Libby. They divorced in 2004 and Denise sadly passed away in 2017.

Gregg got married again in 2011 to Heidi, who was 17 years younger than him. Their marriage lasted 15 months before they went their separate ways.

Reflecting on his marriages on the White Wine Question Time podcast, Gregg said: “The second [marriage], we were together for 14 years, and the third one was a huge mistake. Probably the unhappiest I have ever been in my life, but she was a teacher and was really good with the kids.”

His latest marriage is to Anne-Marie Sterpini, who is 21 years his junior. It was reported that they met via Twitter when Anna asked him if rhubarb actually went well with duck after seeing him give the recipe a go on TV. They got married in 2016 and welcomed a son, named Sid, together in 2019. Their son was diagnosed with autism in 2022.

He opened up about a serious conversation they had at the beginning of their marriage.

“When you fall in love with a younger woman, you’ve got to realise that the chances are they are going to want a family,” he told Event Magazine.

“I remember [her] saying to me, 'I’m going to want to get married and have children. If that’s not what you want, then don’t mess me about'.”

He opened up about being a father again later in life, telling The Telegraph: “I'm a much better father now I'm older, although another child isn't something that I would have chosen at my age. I was always very honest with Anna, but it's what she wanted and I love her. I just requested two things – that we had help in the house (so her mum moved in), and secondly, that we had at least one week a year when we holidayed just the two of us.”