23 February 2025
Dame Prue Leith has admitted the next series of 'The Great British Bake Off' may be her last.
Dame Prue Leith is considering leaving Bake Off
The 85-year-old food expert took over from Dame Mary Berry as judge alongside Paul Hollywood when the programme moved from BBC One to Channel 4 in 2017 but she doesn't know how much longer she will continue as she's starting to "feel a bit older" and doesn't want to outstay her welcome.
She told the Mail on Sunday newspaper: "I'm doing this year's 'Bake Off', and I don't know if this will be my last. I've got to stop some time, so I might stop next year.
"I thought I'd just see how I go this year, because I definitely feel a bit older this year than I did last year.
"Things like getting out of a chair takes me longer than it used to. I don't like big steps without a handrail. None of these things worried me two years ago – I could run upstairs – and so I'm very keen to leave 'Bake Off' before I'm asked to leave."
However, Prue's decision isn't set in stone.
She added: "But on the other hand, I really enjoy it."
Prue previously admitted she didn't expect to land the 'Bake Off' job as she felt producers would want a judge who "ticked all the diversity boxes".
Speaking on the 'Sliding Doors' podcast, she said: “I just jumped at it. I had begun to think about it, once I knew Mary Berry was not going to go on. I thought, ‘Oh, I’d love that job’, but I dismissed the thought.
“I thought, ‘They’ll get someone younger, someone more . . . probably a young Asian chef or something, that would tick all the diversity boxes and stuff’. But no, they chose me.”
But Prue was aware she had the right credentials for the job.
She explained: “If you think about my past career, I’d had 11 years sitting at [BBC Two cooking contest] the 'Great British Menu' as a judge and every plate has about ten tastes on it — it makes 'Bake Off' look really simple.
“With cake, with one spoonful, you can get the icing, the filling and the crumb.
“I knew all the top chefs, I had a Michelin restaurant of my own so I knew that level of cooking very well.”
English (US) ·