Gregg Wallace has 'medical' reason for wearing hairnet despite being bald (2025)

Gregg Wallace on why he left his BBC Inside the Factory

Gregg Wallace has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after being hit with a wave of sexual misconduct allegations, which he denies.

His lawyers say “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”, while celebrities like Kirstie Allsopp, Kirsty Wark and Rod Stewart have made claims against the MasterChef mogul.

Fans discovered a resurfaced video of late comedian Sean Lock claiming Gregg “shouldn’t be a national treasure”, pointing out the chef’s tendency to wear hairnets while on location in factories, despite being bald.

Lock said on 8 Out of 10 Cats: “Gregg came close because I like him because he wears a hairnet even though he’s bald. He goes to a crisp factory, and puts on a hairnet. What, is he worried some baldness will get in the crisps?"

Now fans have been questioning why it is Gregg does wear a hairnet, with one Reddit user begging: “Why is Gregg Wallace wearing a hairnet when he has no hair????”

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There's a reason Gregg Wallace wears a hairnet (Image: BBC)

Plenty of fans chimed in with their own theories, with some suggesting it’s simply regulation in the factory to “prevent arguments”. One user answered: “Standard process. If you mandate everyone must wear them you prevent arguments about but it’s only a couple of mm long.

“Similar area as beard nets – if you’re not completely clean shaven, wear them. It makes it easier on the people that have to enforce it if there’s no wiggle room.”

Someone else said: “Those are sometimes called ‘mob caps’ in the industry and can serve to also signify position/department e.g. hygiene, manager, first aider etc. The hairnet goes underneath and is more of a mesh than the thin cotton mob cap.”

Gregg Wallace dons a hairnet while inside food factories (Image: BBC)

And another factory worker said: “You have to have your ears covered too.”

There is, however, a more scientific explanation. According to research from the University of Bolton, the pathogen Staphylococcus Aureus is “commonly found on the skin, especially the scalp”.

Hairnets help to prevent cross-contamination in factories. According to Aburnet: “Bacteria on the scalp is not the only reason why a bald or person with little hair should wear a covering. Often, although people appear to be bald, many just have very short hair that could still fall out.”