Dame Prue Leith sets record on Great British Bake Off exit after quitting celebrity specials
Dame Prue Leith has addressed the rumours that she is going to quit The Great British Bake Off. The renowned TV chef, replaced Dame Mary Berry as a judge on the TV favourite when it moved to Channel 4 in 2017, and has been seen alongside Paul Hollywood ever since.
She has also gone on to host Prue Leith's Cotswolds Kitchen for ITV and last year appeared on The Masked Singer. But, earlier this year, she did not appear on the celebrity edition of Bake Off so fans are always asking her if she has quit for good.
But that is not the case, and during an appearance on ITV's Lorraine, she told viewers that she only stopped appearing the celebrity version because she needed a break, explaining: "I keep being asked if I'm leaving. This is because I left the celebrity [version]. I stopped doing that last year because I just hadn't had a holiday in the summer for eight years. I've only given up Celebrity [Bake Off]."
The TV favourite is currently busy filming the American version of the baking show, and confirmed that she is still very much a part of the original programme. She said: "I still do The Great American Bake Off, which we are filming at the moment, and I still do The Great British Bake Off, which I love, and is the mother of them all."
Prue, who was replaced by Caroline Waldegrave as a judge on the latest series of the Stand Up 2 Cancer specials, has no intention of leaving the regular version of the programme, adding: "It's the best job in telly. It's absolutely the best job in telly, I don't have to learn lines, I don't have to have script. I just walk on and eat cake."
The star was also quick to heap praise on the addition of Alison Hammond as presenter, who replaced Matt Lucas in 2023 and now carries out hosting duties with Noel Fielding. Noting that the Big Brother legend has had a big impact on the team, she said: "I think Alison has made a huge difference to the team, she gets on so well with Noel with all of us. She's so loving and the bakers adore her, she's like Big Mama!"
It was reported earlier this year that Prue had chosen to step back from her duties on the show to relish some well-deserved rest. And at the time, she disclosed: "It's mainly because these things are filmed back to back."
She went on to say: "The whole way through the summer, so you start in April and you end at the end of August. Honestly, you get no time off. And, I'm getting a bit old and there's places I want to go."
But her replacement is no newbie to the small screen, as Caroline has graced programmes like Chef School, Masterchef, and Tricks of the Trade, and she has also penned several cookbooks. As The Great Celebrity Bake Off gears up for its latest season this weekend, Lady Waldegrave shared her thoughts on succeeding Dame Prue Leith as a judge. She confessed: "I was completely terrified."
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