Magazine publisher: Masterchef's Gregg Wallace 'turned on me out of the blue'

Masterchef presenter Gregg Wallace is engaged in a war of words with the publisher who allegedly groped his 27-year-old girlfriend’s bottom, leading to a bar brawl, at the weekend.

Wallace, 48, said he “did what any bloke would do” when he punched magazine boss Paul Bates.

He accused Mr Bates, 55, of being “disrespectful” towards his partner Anne-Marie Sterpini during a £75-a-head Dinner with Gregg Wallace at a hotel in Worcestershire on Saturday.

But Mr Bates, who publishes Cotswold Style magazine and is married with two adult children, said Wallace attacked him “out of the blue”.

He denied touching Ms Sterpini inappropriately, saying they were merely “chatting” at the Wood Norton Hotel, in Evesham.

Wallace said: “This guy touched Anne-Marie’s bum and made some inappropriate comments. I’m not the sort of bloke who lets something like that go. It’s completely disrespectful. I did what any bloke would do.”

The BBC presenter denied being drunk at the time, reportedly telling a friend he “was busy hosting”.

Mr Bates said: “I was chatting with his girlfriend. Out of the blue, he just turned on me”, but added that Wallace “later gave me an apology”.