For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Prue Leith has temporarily taken a “step back” from her Great British Bake Off presenting duties.
The host and restaurateur has been a part of the much-loved baking programme since its move from the BBC to Channel 4 in 2017, replacing the expert role formerly held by Mary Berry.
However, Leith, 84, will not take part in a future celebrity edition of the programme, raising money for cancer charities.
In a statement provided to The Independent, Love Productions, the production company that makes Bake Off and its sister shows, said: “Prue will be joining Paul as usual to judge The Great British Bake Off, but will be stepping back from The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer.”
Recorded previously, Leith will still be seen in the forthcoming season of Celebrity Bake Off, launching on Sunday (17 March).
In a comment made to The Independent on Thursday (14 March), Leith said: “I absolutely love working on Bake Off and am looking forward to filming the next series and meeting our new bakers, I am only stepping back from the Celebrity series, which is just a question of the filming commitment involved as we make these shows back to back.”
Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson is said to be in the running to replace the South African food writer in her absence.
Speaking to The Sun, apparent insiders to the show made further comments on Leith’s intentions to maintain her role on the regular series.
“Prue absolutely loves working on Bake Off but filming two series a year can be punishing on top of her other commitments,” the source explained.
“She has already filmed the normal series, which will air this year but she will not appear on the celebrity version.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Try for free
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Try for free
“Prue has made it clear she adores the show and would like to come back in 2025.”
Last month, Leith spoke about her fondness for Bake Off and stated that she didn’t find the filming process “boring”, in contrast to former host Sandi Toksvig, who left the show in 2022.
Toksvig quipped in January that she once felt her brain “atrophying” while watching meringues dry on the show, leading to her leaving the co-hosting gig and beginning a research project at the University of Cambridge.
“While she was a presenter, judges like me aren’t on screen all the time,” Leith reasoned in an interview with The Times. “I walk on, eat cake and walk off. I can be busy writing a cookbook the rest of the time.”
Leith also spoke about agreeing with negative takes on her speaking voice as expressed on social media when she first got the hosting role.
“Oh, I hate my voice. It’s too posh,” she said. “When I replaced Mary Berry onBake Offsomeone on Twitter said: ‘Oh no, not that posh b***h,’ and I sort of agreed with her. But yes, Americans seem to like it.”
Leith recently began hosting a new cooking TV show with her husband John Playfair, titled Prue Leith’s Cotswolds Kitchen on ITV1 and ITVX.
FAQs
In a comment made to The Independent on Thursday (14 March), Leith said: “I absolutely love working on Bake Off and am looking forward to filming the next series and meeting our new bakers, I am only stepping back from the Celebrity series, which is just a question of the filming commitment involved as we make these ...
Who are the new judges on Bake Off 2024? ›
Bake Off: The Professionals 2024 judges
Chef Pâtissier at Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Benoit Blin and former Executive Pastry Chef of the Pan Pacific London Hotel Cherish Finden will be back once more as judges of Bake Off: The Professionals.
Does Prue Leith still have a restaurant? ›
In 1960, Leith moved to London to attend the Cordon Bleu Cookery School and then began a business supplying high-quality business lunches. This grew to become Leith's Good Food, a party and event caterer. In 1969, she opened Leith's, her Michelin-starred restaurant in Notting Hill, eventually selling it in 1995.
Who is the most famous Bake Off contestant? ›
1st place: Nadiya Hussain has been crowned the most successful contestant from the UK's TV cooking and baking shows. From our ranking of 149 contestants, it's The Great British Bake Off (GBBO) winner from 2015 that has taken the pole position.
Who will replace Prue? ›
Nigella Lawson is the “favourite” to replace Prue Leith as a judge on Great British Bake Off, Channel 4 insiders claim. Leith, 84, is taking a break from the show, with sources citing her age.
Who is in Celebrity Bake Off 2024? ›
The Great Celebrity Bake Off 2024 line-up
- Jodie Whittaker.
- Paloma Faith.
- Munya Chawawa.
- Spencer Matthews.
- Danny Dyer.
- Rhod Gilbert.
- Yinka Bokinni.
- Leigh Francis.
In a comment made to The Independent on Thursday (14 March), Leith said: “I absolutely love working on Bake Off and am looking forward to filming the next series and meeting our new bakers, I am only stepping back from the Celebrity series, which is just a question of the filming commitment involved as we make these ...
Did Prue Leith have a Michelin star? ›
Even so, Leith's career is impressive and filled with accomplishments, perhaps most notably earning a Michelin Star. Leith received her formal training from London's renowned Cordon Bleu Cookery School starting in 1960.
Why did Prue leave the Great British baking Show? ›
Channel 4 confirmed that Prue would be stepping back from Celebrity Bake Off in a statement provided to The Independent which read: “Prue will be joining Paul as usual to judge The Great British Bake Off but will be stepping back from The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer.” Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson ...
Who is Prue Leith's son? ›
Nadiya Hussain MBE, 38, won The Great British Bake Off in 2015, and earns the most of all the Bake Off winners.
Do celebrity Bake Off contestants get paid? ›
They don't get paid. every article about the show says this and all the contestants have confirmed it. all they get is a small stipend to cover the cost of practice bakes and thats usually not even enough.
Where do the bakers stay during Bake Off? ›
Do They Stay at the House Where the Tent Is Located? No. The contestants stay at a nearby hotel during the weekends and travel to the tent via minibus during competition days before returning home during the week, Quinn told Cosmopolitan. The judges and hosts are put up in a hotel, though a different one.
Why did Prue quit? ›
Evil Couldn't Defeat Shannen Doherty's Prue, But Drama Could. Once Doherty's departure was made public, there was speculation that she was forced out of a job. Doherty set the record straight in a 2001 interview with Entertainment Weekly, during which she said there was too much drama onset and not enough passion.
Why did Prue never come back? ›
In the premiere of season four (2001–02) "Charmed Again (Part 1)", it is revealed that Prue could not be saved in time from the fatal wounds she suffered at Shax's hands in the season three finale.
Why was Prue replaced with Paige? ›
Producers then decided to kill off the character of Prue and replace her with a long-lost younger sister in favor of having "a fresh face" join the series. Spelling stated, "[The character's] going to be the long-lost sister Alyssa and Holly never knew [they] had.
Will there be a Great British Baking Show in 2024? ›
Will There Be A New Season of 'The Great British Baking Show' on Netflix in 2024? Fear not - the show has been renewed and we should see some of the spin-offs land their new seasons on Netflix too.
Who are the judges on the new Bake Off the Professionals? ›
Since the show was introduced, Cherish Finden and Benoit Blin have helmed the judges positions and will be back once more, tasking the chefs with difficult challenges over the coming weeks. As the new series kicks off, here's everything you need to know about the expert judges on Bake Off: The Professionals.
Who won The Great British Bake Off in 2024? ›
Four previous fan favourites returned to the tent. Maxy Maligisa has been crowned the winner of The Great New Year Bake Off after returning to the tent for a festive special.
What does Paul Hollywood's son do? ›
