The 51-year-old, who grew up in Carlisle in Cumbria, stepped in to replace Gregg Wallace on the popular BBC show, which pushes contestants to show off their culinary skills in the kitchen.
The food writer, who regularly appears on the BBC show, said he's 'speaking from his own experience' after 13 people accused Gregg of 'wrong' and inappropriate 'sexualised' behaviour.
Throwing his support behind Gregg, the broadcasting veteran said he would be 'very sorry' to see the 60-year-old host of MasterChef permanently cancelled from the small screen.