HIS job as a co-presenter on MasterChef has made him one of the biggest names in television today.
It comes as no surprise then that Gregg Wallace, 58, lives a pretty remarkable life, with a reported £5million in his coffers.
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But it wasn’t always easy for the Peckham-born star – he’s had to overcome some major adversities to get to where he is in life.
After a traumatic childhood where he suffered abuse at the age of eight, Gregg left school at 15, was homeless and had to sell vegetables at a market stand in Covent Garden.
But today, he’s a household name, has a gorgeous family, and lives a lavish life inside a £1million countryside home.
He has also built a business empire for himself with incredible turnovers and enjoys luxurious holidays in incredible destinations.
With MasterChef back on our screens, we take a look at the amazing lifestyle of one of its most loved presenters.
Posh pad
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Although Gregg travels around the UK for his TV shows – which included The Factory, before he quit – his home in Kent is where his heart truly is.
He lives in the stunning £1million property with his fourth wife Anne-Marie, their son Sid, three, and her parents Rina and Masimo, alongside the family’s pet dogs.
He has two other children, Libby and Tom, from his previous marriage to his ex, Denise. Gregg’s in-laws help to look after Sid, who was diagnosed with autism last year.
In an interview, the star spoke about how they came to live with him, saying: “When they moved in, they wanted to contribute. I said, ‘No way. You don’t need to spend your money anymore. Enjoy your retirement and look after us.'”
In a number of snaps shared online, Gregg has given fans a peek at the interior of his house.
The bedroom he shares with Ann-Marie appears super tidy with cream walls, a matching carpet, a metallic bed frame, and classic wooden furniture.
It comes with a massive hallway that’s been decorated with a partnered rug and an antique mirror hanging from the wall.
There are also traditional French doors that lead to the massive living room, which also has a cream carpet and matching comfy sofas.
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The family are also able to relax in their spacious back garden, which boasts a patio decked with a fountain and an incredibly long lawn.
Gregg has also spoken about his love for cars and he is known to have owned a bright red Jaguar XKR.
It was a massive improvement from his first car – a Ford Escort Van, which he used to haul his products around when he worked as a window cleaner.
He once said in an interview that his dream car would be a Bentley convertible.
Business empire and wealth
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Gregg has established himself as one of the biggest stars on TV and has a whopping £5million estimated net worth.
According to BBC salary figures, he was paid a staggering £250,000 in 2016 for his work on MasterChef, which he has presented since 2005, and Masterchef: The Professionals.
His other projects include Veg Talk on BBC Radio 4, which lasted for seven years, The Money Programme, and Time Commanders.
In 2021, he fronted a six-part ITV show called South Africa with Gregg Wallace and presented two Christmas specials on Channel 5 that same year.
His greengrocer business had a turnover of £7.5 million at its peak. He started the company, George Allan’s Greengrocer’s in 1989, a nod to his past as a fruit and veg seller.
Despite this, Gregg revealed in November last year that he doesn’t want to rest on his laurels after being homeless as a teenager.
In a chat with Gaby Roslin, he said: “I don’t feel safe yet. I see a therapist about this, and she said you climbed far higher up the mountain than you were supposed to, so you’re looking down at where you started and you think ‘oh that’s a long way to fall’.
“But there’s no way you can fall all the way back down to being this homeless kid at fifteen, that can’t happen to you now. The worst that can happen is that you fall to the ledge 6 feet below. It’s fear, that’s what drives me. I don’t feel safe, not at the moment.”
The star continued: “I’ve set a monetary figure on it, we are probably safe now. It’s money.
“I had none as a youngster and I felt that poverty quite keenly and I felt embarrassed by it on a Couple of occasions and that’s a driving force to wanting to achieve, but not so you can have Ferraris and yachts and helicopters and private planes, that’s not what I want.
“What I want is to feel completely and utterly secure.”
Lavish holidays
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As one of the hardest working people in showbiz, it’s perfectly understandable that Gregg likes to let his hair down every now and again with a luxurious holiday.
He is an avid traveller and has filmed in some of the best destinations in the world including Vienna and Barcelona.
For his summer holiday last year, the star took his family to France and stayed in an impeccable villa in Provence.
He took to Instagram to show off the white property complete with a huge garden, and a sleek swimming pool surrounded by comfy sun loungers.
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In snaps, he also showed off his incredible weight loss after shedding 4.5st.
Last year, he told Loose Women: “I’m probably fitter and healthier now at 57 than I was at 27. I never went on a diet, I learned about healthy eating.”
The foodie explained: “I eat three big meals a day and I’ve been helping people now for a couple of years.
He added: “The trouble is, people think weight loss is going to be difficult. It’s because they’ve tried it previously and they’ve tried a really restrictive diet that is uncomfortable.”
Not too bad for a man who once called himself “just the fat, bald bloke on MasterChef who likes pudding”.
