Great British Bake Off judge Dame Prue Leith announced her exit from the Channel 4 show last month, after nine years in the famous tent
Prue Leith has opened up about her decision to leave The Great British Bake Off behind. The 86-year-old confirmed her exit from the much-loved programme last month following nine years of critiquing aspiring bakers’ efforts in the tent.
Reflecting on the move, Prue said: “I’d rather have jumped than been pushed. I’d already stopped Celebrity Bake Off, then last year I stopped [judging] the American version, now I’m stopping doing this.”
Speaking with Saga Magazine, the restaurateur admitted progressively withdrawing from each programme helped make the change “less painful”.
Discussing her wellbeing, Prue insisted physical considerations also played a part in her decision-making. “It had to be sooner or later,” she admitted.
“I’m more forgetful than I was, I get more aches and pains than I used to, I need a sleep in the afternoon, although [Bake Off] producers accommodate that very well.”
The culinary expert has also stressed that she is “running out of time” and therefore hopes to maximise her summer months, when production normally occurs.
“I need more time to do stuff, especially as I have holidays in the summer because we always film Bake Off through the summer,” she revealed on BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast Show.
“I’ve had a lot of lovely winter holidays in the southern hemisphere, but I suddenly thought I’ll never go to the south of France again or never be able to be able to have a holiday in Spain so I just took the plunge.
“I did think about it for two years before I actually jumped.”
While Prue may be leaving her judging duties however, she isn’t stepping back from her commitments entirely.
Beyond launching her latest publication Being Old… and learning to love it, reports suggest she’s also preparing to team up once more with former Bake Off presenter Sandi Toksvig for an upcoming travel programme.
Previously, Prue has credited her ongoing achievements to maintaining an active lifestyle alongside having a devoted husband by her side.
“It’s all about the serotonin levels in the brain; if you can be optimistic and forward-looking and don’t brood about the things that go wrong, and I think I’ve been very lucky,” she revealed to The Sunday Post.
“I also sleep well and eat well, and I have a lovely husband.
“I do love to be busy and I have lots of energy, but the reason I can do it all is because I am so well supported,” Prue continued.
Prue’s position on The Great British Bake Off will be taken over by Nigella Lawson, who joins fellow judge Paul Hollywood alongside presenters Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding in the tent this summer.
Reflecting on her replacement, she described the 66-year-old as a “wonderful” choice.
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