Gregg Wallace has been warned by one of the country's most senior barristers not to say the women coming forward with claims against him are making things up.
The comments from Baroness Helena Kennedy, who chairs a watchdog aimed at improving standards of behaviour in the creative industries, come after 50 more people contacted BBC News with claims about the TV presenter, which he denies.
An inquiry into allegations of misconduct against him, conducted by an independent law firm on behalf of MasterChef's production company Banijay, is expected to report back imminently.
BBC News has not seen that report, but Wallace insisted it had cleared him of "the most serious and sensational allegations".
His comments came as it emerged that he had been sacked as MasterChef presenter as a result of the inquiry into alleged misconduct.
