Paul Hollywood's colourful love life from age gap affair to young new wife

03 October 2023 , 18:15

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Paul Hollywood's colourful love life from age gap affair to young new wife

Celebrity baker Paul Hollywood reportedly recently tied the knot with partner Melissa Spalding in a lavish ceremony attended by more than 75 of their closest family and friends, including fellow Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith. The wedding is said to have taken place in Cyprus, as per Hello!, with the couple saying 'I do' in the Ayia Athanasia chapel, on the grounds of the luxury Anassa Hotel.

This of course wasn't Paul's first walk up the aisle though, with the celebrity baker having led a rather complicated love life, including a bitter split from his first wife, and regret over an age-gap affair.

Paul and Alexandra's love blossomed in Cyprus (WireImage)

Alexandra later lashed out at her husband in a salty Instagram post (Ken McKay/ITV/REX)

First marriage and 'wow' moment

Paul, 57, met his first wife Alexandra Hollywood while he was working as head baker at the swish five-star Annabelle hotel in Paphos, Cyprus, back in 1996. Alexandra had been working as a diving instructor at the resort at the time, and sparks flew when Paul turned up with delicious baked goods as gifts for the dive school staff

During an interview with the Mail Online in 2013, Alexandra recalled: "He was a fantastic-looking guy. He was absolutely lovely with piercing blue eyes and I thought: 'Wow!'. I didn't even look at the bread." Their courtship got off to a sweet start, with Paul turning up for daily morning dives with Alexandra, treating his then-new love to opulent champagne chocolate ganache pastries.

Alexandra added: "We fell in love very quickly. Two weeks was all it took - we both knew. Paul was lovely, he made me the most wonderful pastries for breakfast. Show me a woman who doesn't like chocolate!" The lovebirds got married two years later in Cyprus, and returned to the UK in 1999.

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In 2001, they welcomed their son, Josh, who reportedly snubbed his dad's recent wedding to former pub landlady Melissa, amid rumours of a fractured relationship between the pair.

Paul's affair with a TV co-host made headlines in 2013 (Mirror Screen Grab)

Age gap affair and sour split

In 2013, the Hollywoods hit the headlines after Paul reportedly cheated on Alexandra with chef Marcela Valladolid, then 34 to his 47, whom he worked with on US cooking show The American Baking Competition. The affair ultimately led to Paul and Alexandra calling it quits, and plenty of regret on Paul's part.

In a candid interview with Radio 5 Live presenter Richard Bacon, Paul confessed: "I did have an affair in America with my co-judge and it was something which... it was the biggest mistake of my life, because actually I still love my wife." The couple initially reconciled and tried to work through their issues, but ended things for good in 2017.

Alexandra, now a celebrity chef in her own right, made her own feelings on the matter crystal clear in a 2022 Instagram post celebrating self-love, writing: "It's taken me a while to get here and it hasn't been easy, but I love the woman I am now. I know only too well that not every marriage/partnership is a recipe for happiness and success. My own marriage was too over-seasoned with extra-marital affairs for my taste and so I opted out and chose the single menu instead."

Paul and Melissa first locked eyes in her family's historic pub (PA)

They eventually reunited, but split again in 2017 when barmaid Summer Monteys-Fulham, then 23, entered the frame. The pair confirmed their romance in the same month as the split, and Alex was left furious, claiming her husband started an affair with Summer before they had parted ways. It was then that Alex filed for divorce on the grounds of adultery and a source said she was "fed up of the lies". Summer and Paul split soon after his divorce was finalised.

New marriage with younger wife

It's understood that Paul met new wife Melissa, 39, at the Chequers Inn, a 14th-century pub located in the pretty Kent village of Smarden, owned by Melissa's family. In November 2022, a source told The Sun: "Paul proposed some months ago, but they have been keeping it very quiet since then. It's only in the past month that she has begun wearing her engagement ring out in public and sharing their news with friends."

Paul dated barmaid summer after his split from Alex (Internet Unknown)

Paul and Summer also didn't go the distance (summermonteysfullam/Instagram)

Following their recent overseas wedding, another source close to the couple told the Mail Online described the ceremony as being "very tasteful and stylish", with hotel staff pulling out "all the stops to make it a memorable day".

They continued: "There was a very lively party with loud music and lots of drinking that went on until late into the night. Paul is very close to the hotel owners and they made sure that everybody had a great time. He loves Cyprus and it was a wonderful setting for what was a beautiful occasion."

The Great British Bake Off, Channel 4, Tuesday, 8pm

Julia Banim