Prue Leith has confessed that she faces a “danger” on The Great British Bake Off and announced that she’s “got to stop.” Her revelations emerged during a recent interview where she appeared alongside fellow Bake Off personality Alison Hammond, discussed what viewers can anticipate in this year’s series.
Back in 2017, Prue took over from Mary Berry on the programme and currently works as a judge alongside Paul Hollywood. Originally from South Africa, Prue has had a diverse career throughout the years, including positions as a restaurateur and cookery writer.
Her recent remarks surfaced after the 85-year-old disclosed earlier this year that she felt uncertain whether the upcoming season of Bake Off (scheduled to broadcast on September 2) would mark her final appearance on the cherished Channel 4 baking programme.
When questioned whether thoughts of leaving were on her mind now that filming has concluded, Prue informed the Mail: “Well, it is. It often is because I’ve got to stop sometime. But I love Bake Off, so not yet. I love it so much there’s a danger I’ll overstay my welcome.”
Alison replied with a resolute “never!”, continuing: “You could still be here at 101. I don’t know why you’d retire. If she left Bake Off she wouldn’t stop working, so she might as well stay.”
In 2024, Prue disclosed that she’d instructed her husband, John Playfair, to notify her when the moment to retire had arrived.
She even informed US Weekly that she would need to call it quits “sometime soon.” In a candid revelation, Prue expressed her desire to “get out” before being “pushed.”
She elaborated on her reluctance to reach a point where producers would gently suggest it was time for a change.
In her 2022 memoir, I’ll Try Anything Once, Prue shared her ambition to turn her book trilogy into a television series. However, she confessed to having one significant worry.
She penned: “My main concern is not having enough life left to live. I feel as energetic and enthusiastic, or almost, as I ever did, but, of course, it can’t last.”
Throughout her illustrious career, Prue has even had the honour of cooking for royalty, though not without a few hiccups. In a past interview, she recounted two mortifying incidents involving Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth.
She recalled that during Margaret’s visit to her restaurant, they “managed to set the kitchen on fire.”
In another incident, Prue was left red-faced after making an error with the late Queen’s tea.
Prue recounted: “I also had to give Queen Elizabeth a cup of tea once, and I asked her how she liked it, and she told me, ‘Black,’ so I poured a bit of tea into the teacup and added some lemon, and she said, ‘No lemon.'”