Gregg Wallace quits TV series to focus more attention on his three-year-old autistic son

Gregg Wallace is stepping away from a beloved BBC series in order to spend more time with his three-year-old son, Sid.

The 58-year-old is hoping to be with his son more after the little boy was diagnosed with non-verbal autism - which requires specialist support.

Wallace made the decision after he found that filming took him away from his family for many months at a time.

Speaking about his son on BBC Radio London, Wallace described him as a ‘lovely, lovely little boy’ but admitted that ‘it wasn’t easy’ to look after him.

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"Imagine a child that you can’t threaten or bribe and that’s basically what you’ve got,” he told listeners, adding that his son was like most other ‘naughty’ little boys.

He continued, saying: "You’ve got a little boy who’s cuddly and happy and naughty, like any little boy would be, but he can’t speak, he can’t talk to you, so he gets frustrated because he finds it difficult to tell you what exactly it is he needs.”

It was this that drove the presenter’s decision to step down from hosting Inside the Factory - a long-running BBC series that looks into how various foods from some of the UK’s top brands are manufactured.

While understandable, the news will come as a bitter blow to some BBC viewers as the factual show has gained a major following in recent years.

BBC/Voltage TV

Explaining the decision further, he said: "So I’ve made a decision that I’m actually not going to do Inside The Factory any more. It’s a good time to stop doing it because there’s actually 12 episodes in the can… so I wouldn’t have been filming for a while anyway so it just seemed like a good idea to stop it."

But the Masterchef host isn't quitting his job for good, as he plans to spend additional time focusing on his lifestyle website, Showme.fit, which focuses on healthy eating.

He will also continue to present other BBC shows such as Eat Well For Less, Turn Back Time, Harvest and Supermarket Secrets.

But supporting his wife, Anne-Marie Sterpini, with the toddler’s care is Wallace's main priority.

The couple married in 2016, with the presenter feeling it was unfair to leave the responsibility of childcare to his spouse: "Right now, we need to find education for him and I can’t just leave that to Anna – that’s a big, big decision.”

BBC/Voltage TV

While he did admit that many parents will worry about their kids education, Wallace said that he and his family will struggle because of Sid’s additional needs.

He added: "I mean, all parents worry about the schools that children will go to. Ours is even more highlighted because of poor little Sid’s issues."

Though a new presenter will be announced shortly, the BBC’s Head Of Specialist Factual, Jack Bootle, thank the Masterchef judge for his contribution to the series.

He told press that he’d brought a ‘humour, intelligence and genuine curiosity to one of the BBC’s biggest returning factual brands’.

He added: "I’d like to thank him for all his hard work and commitment to the programme."