Celebrity chef Dan Doherty, who is a judge on ‘Britain’s Best Home Cook’ alongside Mary Berry, has apologised to staff at his central London restaurant following sexual harassment claims.
The 33-year-old was also reportedly banned from the Royal Oak gastro pub in Marylebone for a month, while an investigation into his conduct was launched by his bosses.
According to the Sunday Times, the restaurant’s parent company looked into claims that he had made inappropriate remarks to female staff.
When he returned to work a month later, he switched roles from Head Chef to Executive Chef and apologised to his team.
In a statement, the chef said: “I would never intentionally make offensive comments to anyone I work with, male or female.
“I have apologised to the whole team for any offence I may have inadvertently caused. It would never be my intention.”
Four members of staff have reportedly since quit their jobs at the Royal Oak.
The independent consultancy HR180 was hired to investigate the allegations and reportedly sent an email to staff explaining that alleged inappropriate communication was under examination.
Doherty was previously forced to apologise after he was found to have made homophobic comments online, telling one fan: “Don’t be gay.”
Dan later addressed the messages, which were sent in 2013 and 2014 in a statement.
“I would like to apologise unreservedly for the language used in these tweets from four years ago and have now deleted them,” he said.
“These tweets are not a reflection of my beliefs and I deeply regret any offence caused.”