JOHN Torode directed the N-word at staff member as well as singing it in a Kanye West song, claimed a source.

We reported yesterday how the MasterChef star, 59, repeated lyrics from Gold Digger, which contain the racial slur, at an after-work ­gathering six or seven years ago.

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Torode is said to have used the word again while ­chatting to a pal on the BBC show’s production team – who did not take offence.

Torode, who vehemently denies ever using the N-word, is “utterly devastated” by the accusations and has “absolutely no recollection”.

He was sacked this week after an investigation by the Beeb and production company Banijay – which also saw former co-host Gregg Wallace axed for inappropriate behaviour.

However, the BBC has how revealed the second incident was not the one reported and led to a complaint.

The allegation was actually in reference to an incident that unfolded a year before.

An insider claimed Torode used the “extremely offensive racist term” on set after filming a MasterChef episode.

It was allegedly directed towards a member of staff.

And, there were eight further complaints lodged against Torode, which ranged from alleged racist comments, sexual remarks and abusive language towards junior production employees.

But, they were not upheld due to lack of evidence.

The report has also highlighted a complaint against a third unnamed person for swearing.

According to the BBC, this is in reference to a senior exec on the show.

The company also lifted the lid on Torode and Wallace’s partnership and how the on-screen pals were “never friends” behind the scenes.

An ex-staffer claimed: “Clearly they had a good chemistry when the cameras were rolling. But you rarely saw them interact when the cameras were off.

“And when Gregg was saying inappropriate things like that, John held his counsel. I never saw him step in.”

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Torode himself admitted “we’ve never been friends. We’ve not been to each other’s houses”, in 2017.

He even confessed to the Mirror there had been “a couple of standoffs” which left Torode walking away from his co-star.

When allegations about Wallace came to light last year, Torode’s lack of support was glaringly obvious.

In his brief statement, he said the “thought of anyone who has appeared on our show not having a brilliant experience is awful to hear”.

It was enough to reportedly make Wallace “furious” and led to the chef unfollowing him and his co-host’s wife Lisa Faulkner.

This comes after a source told The Sun Torode is in “a pretty bad way — he’s feeling very fragile” since being sacked this week.

Melbourne-born John moved to the UK in 1991 and started working in London restaurants including Quaglino’s.

It was there he met greengrocer Wallace, who provided their veg.

He started cooking on This Morning in 1996 before he and Wallace began hosting the revamped MasterChef in 2005.

But the host was only spoken to by a representative from legal firm Lewis Silkin at the end of June as part of the inquiry into his ­MasterChef co-host Gregg Wallace.

A source added: “One of the allegations is that he said the N-word while repeating Kanye’s Gold Digger song during a gathering with his colleagues when filming had ended. John is adamant he would never have used the N-word and only knows the radio version of the song which says, ‘Now I ain’t sayin’ she a gold digger, but she ain’t messin’ with no broke, broke’. The clean version of the song is the only one he knows.

“The person who raised the complaint didn’t say anything at the time. So John only found out a few weeks ago that this issue had been raised.

“This has hit him like a ton of bricks as he does not recall it.

“He insists he would never have repeated the N-word in those lyrics because he only knows the radio edit of that song.”

Those close to Torode have criticised the BBC’s handling of his departure, with his representatives only being made aware his contract wasn’t being renewed after the BBC press office released a statement.

A source added: “John is devastated by all of this. He is being supported by his wife Lisa and friends. They’re keeping him close because he has really been struggling.

“John abhors this kind of language and does not recall ever reciting a racist slur in a lyric, or directing one to someone he considered a friend at work.

“He adored MasterChef. It was a huge part of his life. To have it all ending like this is awful.”

Wallace, 60, was also officially sacked this week by the BBC and Banijay after an independent investigation was carried out into allegations of bad behaviour on the show between 2005 and 2024.

A total of 45 out of 83 allegations were upheld.

The majority were inappropriate sexual language.

One related to unwanted touching.

BBC boss Tim Davie has since broke his silence on the future of MasterChef following the scandal.

He said: “I absolutely think it does, I think a great programme that’s loved by audiences is much bigger than individuals.

“It absolutely can survive and prosper, but we’ve got to make sure we’re in the right place in terms of the culture of the show.”

The Sun revealed that the final MasterChef series, with Wallace and Torode as hosts, will air “once the dust has settled”.

Meanwhile, Torode’s wife Lisa Faulkner has revealed “I don’t read anything about us” as she opened up about her six-year marriage.