The BBC has hit back at Gregg Wallace's £10,000 damages claim after he was sacked from MasterChef earlier this year.

Last month it was revealed how the presenter was said to have lodged his lawsuit at London's High Court and vowed to 'not go quietly'. 

Gregg, 60, was seeking the release of hundreds of pages of secret documents which he believes will help clear his name and earn back millions in lost earnings. 

However, the BBC has now hit back at his claim for up to £10,000, as he alleges the broadcaster caused him 'distress and harassment' by not releasing the documents.

Lawyers for the BBC have now filed their defence, claiming their former star presenter is 'entitled to any damages'.

In the documents, seen by The Sun, the corporation says Gregg pursed his claim without giving them prior notice.

The BBC are quoted as saying: 'That voluntary disclosure demonstrates the claimant has no basis to claim damages for distress in respect of the withholding of such information.' 

The Sun report Gregg's data was finally handed over on October 7, after he initially requested the documents in March.

Meanwhile, the publication also adds that a source close to the chef says he is preparing to launch a disability claim for damages relating to his undiagnosed autism while working on MasterChef. 

He previously said nothing was done to investigate his 'neurodiversity' while he was working on MasterChef. 

'My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef,' he said in a statement. 

'Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years. That failure is now being quietly buried.'

Gregg stepped down from the hit BBC cooking show after complaints were made about his behaviour and 45 of those 83 complaints were upheld following a report into his conduct. In total, 41 people complained.  

The review concluded that the 'majority of the substantiated allegations against Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour'.

It added that 'a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated', with 'one incident of unwelcome physical contact' also substantiated.

The former Eat Well for Less? presenter told The Sun that while he didn't deny being guilty of some of the claims, he believed things had been 'perceived incorrectly'.

Gregg claimed that he had worked with around 4,000 people, meaning that just 0.5 per cent of those he has worked with 'found fault with me'.

He said his actions were the result of learned behaviour and workplace culture and claimed that his recent autism diagnosis also played a role.

Australian-born chef John Torode also lost his job on the show after two decades over allegations that he used the N-word, which he maintains he has 'no recollection' of saying.