Greg Wallace’s autism means that he can’t wear underwear. Really?

[Hotdays2]

Headline in today’s Times. As a mother of a diagnosed autistic DS I find this playing of the disability card pretty offensive. He also blames the BBC for not supporting him in managing his disability. He is capable of putting a sock on his privates when exposing himself to lowly and therefore vulnerable female staff members, so it seems that he got over his sensory sensitivities to some extent. His consistent blaming of others and absolute lack of self-awareness or remorse for his actions is just reprehensible I think.

Autistic DS has sensory issues and can only wear one brand of underwear in a specific colour. If that’s not available, he goes commando. No big deal.

OTOH GW is an odious, chippy little misogynist, and one of the many people who thinks that ND is a free pass to all kinds of inappropriate behaviour. Seen also across multiple threads here: “Does anyone think my DH might be autistic?” No love, I think he’s a cunt.

As an autistic with sensory issues I take offence at this. Yes sometimes I can't wear certain clothing items but not once in my 48 years have I exposed myself to other unwilling parties. He may or not be autistic but he is clear a sexually harassing perv.

I have autism and I also hate wearing pants and having a vpl, I go without now too.

My BF has high functioning Aspergers and is also partly disabled - under active Thyroid conditions , mild Asthma , Hyperhidrosis etc and side effects from a catalogue of medications.
He can't regulate his body temperature properly & when he's at his place, he prefers to strip off and lay on his bed without underwear. He never wears pants to sleep as uncomfortable and he'll wake up drenched in groin area, but will occasionally wears soft cotton seamless T-shirts it cold weather. In company he'll of course wear underwear, unless it's just me or a close friend or two at his place or mine flat. Net curtains all around naturally.
He'll cover himself with a sheet in very hot weather like recently or like in 2022. My flatmate is fine as she's not one to wear much either when our place is like an oven. They get on well so it is zero issues. BF is too typically 'middle class polite' (his term) and introverted in this regard to even want to do anything inappropriate. He'd be mortified if he accidentally exposed himself to anyone bar very close friends.
I'd probably flashed myself five times as much by mistake in my younger days tbh 😁

All those with ASD are different, but in this case I think Greg Wallis is talking the piss... 🙄

😂
That made my day! 🤣

Yeah Greg, we're not letting you in our club 🙄

Especially because autistic people- largely but not exclusively women and girls- are more vulnerable to sexual abuse than the general population.

Sorry, yes, it was just a humorous aside. 😁

Laughable of course that he's continuing to dig this hole of his own making. Maybe he'll like Australia.

My first thought was bollocks.
Greg has no shame in thinking up anything to "blame" for his obnoxious behaviour.
Thank God we won't be seeing his smarmy mug on TV again.

The issue is not whether he wears underwear, which is entirely his business, whatever the reason.

The issue is telling people and showing people.

Ridiculous apologist crap.

He's absolutely repulsive. I feel sorry for his wife. In fact I don't because how could you be with someone who's that much of a misogynistic pig?

Why can't he just go away and accept the fact he made way more money than was in any way reasonable based on his talent and behaviour.

He seems to have the type of ND that only the rich and famous have - think they can grope and expose themselves to any woman they fancy say GW, RB and PDiddy.
Or is it that they are just arrogant perverts trying on the I can't help it my brain works differently.

It is completely possible to be both autistic and an arsehole. So kind of Ģregg to demonstrate this.

I couldn’t believe it when I read his statement yesterday, who the hell has he got advising him? Being diagnosed with autism does not excuse any of the things he has been accused of. What a twerp.

Also the whole thing about “I was the cheeky greengrocer for 20 years and suddenly that persona isn’t ok anymore” really irked me: no it’s not ok to be a sex pest and yes 20 years down the line women finally have the courage to call you out on it. His poor wife.

He probably can’t sweat either.

The Daily Tism has nailed it today:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DL7TZFYsiaS/?igsh=ZWlrNXd0bHQ0NWNk

(it’s a link to an Instagram post under the name The Daily Tism, which is run by a group of v funny autistic women)

I'm autistic. Yes, there are sensory issues which mean there are fabrics and fastenings I avoid, yes, underwired bras are the work of the devil (I mean seriously would men suffer underwear that randomly tried to stab them through the chest with a metal spike?!) and I don't know why they make clothing labels out of something that seems like sandpaper.

However I manage, I find clothing that I CAN wear, I may occasionally wear itchy label underwear inside out (you can never get the whole bloody label itch threads out) and pyjamas I often have inside out to avoid itchy bits... and I'm not a gropey, pervy sex pest.

You can be autistic and a perfectly nice person = most of us
You can be autistic and a total steaming twat = Gregggggggggggggg

Disability of any kind is not a pass to exhibit behaviour that upset others, that is illegal, immoral or simply rude. Yes there’s circumstances where certain behaviour is hard to control eg tics but even then your disability doesn’t trump others so if you can’t control yourself in say a quiet environment like a theatre you don’t go. My dc is autistic it’s insulting to her and other that a man uses this as an excuse for predatory behaviour

RE: His diagnosis - I call bs. There are plenty of less than scrupulous places that you can pay privately for in order to get a diagnosis, and there was a really interesting Panorama on them.

In addition, in a lot of people, it can be hard to differentiate between different types of disorder. A lot of women diagnosed with EUPD are actually autistic and misdiagnosed. And I have met a number of manipulative abusive men who claim to be ASD but who are actually narcissistic.

Yeah totally. And he's implying that greengrocers (read working class professional of any type who's male) is entitled and almost expected to grope and perv on every woman he sees.

Utter bollocks. He discredits decent normal working class people, he discredits ND, he discredits women of all ages and nobody who's ever worked with him has a good word to say about the fat bald headed cunt. But yet it's always somebody else's fault?

I love the Daily Tism.

Forgot to say - a man who tells you he cant help his abusive assaultive behaviour because of his autism is probably not.

There's a running joke at Christmas and birthdays, not to buy my brother underwear. He hasn't worn it since he was a teen. He is autistic and it's a sensory issue.

However, he's never been caught without anything on. That's the real issue. Not whether or not it's a trait of autism. Because indecency certainly isn't a trait.

There is a huge difference between not being able to wear underwear due to sensory issues, and flashing your knob at women. He is blaming the former for the latter. That is not on.

He's clearly never heard the phrase when you're in a hole, stop digging.

Shut up Greg(g). Nobody wants to hear your pitiful excuses for being a lechy perv. You showed us exactly who you were, then doubled down with the "middle class women of a certain age" shite.

Away back to flogging onions on the market, you odious little creep.

Excellent post.
Mention of being a greengrocer makes me think of Chris Bavin who is also one, but unlike Gregg also comes across as a decent TV presenter and a thoroughly nice bloke.