Mary Berry's health update as she finds 'new lease of life' since breaking hip
She’s 88 years old, a doyenne of broadcasting and is a Dame Commander of the British Empire – but that doesn’t mean Mary Berry is above camping in a tent with one of her best friends.
In her new BBC show, Mary Makes It Easy, Mary does just that with her old Great British Bake Off mucker Mel Giedroyc. Mel, 55, is a keen camper, and has asked Mary to show her some campfire recipes that will thrill her two grown-up daughters, Vita and Florence. So Mary rustles up a warming mushroom soup, a speedy veg ragù and even a chicken tartiflette.
There’s also hot chocolate at bedtime, with the two of them tucked up in their sleeping bags and enjoying a cosy chat using just their head torches for light. The pair have been friends for more than 20 years, so Mary didn’t hesitate to join Mel – who affectionately calls her Bez – out in the wild.
Mary Berry issues health update after breaking hip“We go back a long way and we like a lot of fun,” smiles Mary. “They all called me Bez in the Bake Off tent. We still keep it up when we ring each other and sign our names on cards. But not to anybody else.” The thought of camping was wonderful,” she adds. “It was Mel who put up the tent because I had no idea. It would have fallen down!”
With her immaculate blonde bob and colourful blouses, Mary is known for her refined good taste, but she’s never shied away from country pursuits. Her former Bake Off co-stars might call her Bez, but her first nickname was Scruffy – given to her by her father when she was a young child with a penchant for climbing trees. “I was an outdoor person. When I was a little girl that’s what I was – scruffy,” recalls Mary. “I couldn’t care less what I was wearing. It was wartime as well.”
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Mary and Mel have been friends for 20 years (BBC/Sidney Street/Neil Genower)These days Mary and her husband Paul Hunnings, 91, have swapped their respective hobbies of tennis and golf for garden croquet, which is their new passion. Mary credits croquet with giving her a new lease of life after she recovered from a broken hip. “Croquet is something for when you’re older,” says Mary, who enjoys the social aspect as well as the exercise.
“My husband was a great sportsman in his time and he can no longer play golf so we play croquet. It’s a great crowd and for a couple of hours you forget everything.” Mary finds it’s a great stress reliever. So much so that she heads out with her mallet rain or shine. “It takes you out of yourself, you meet different people and I just love it. We play in all weather, we just dress for it,” she smiles.
Mary and husband Paul Hunnings have been married for 56 years (Getty Images)Mary and her husband Paul have been married for 56 years, and happily too. “I’m very lucky to have my husband. He’s 91 and I’m looking after him, I can tell you!” Mary says. The TV favourite admits that there have been arguments, but says they’ve always been able to work through things once they both realised it was important to be able to apologise.
“Settle an argument before you go to bed and learn to say, ‘Sorry, I was wrong,’” she says. “Sometimes we are wrong. I’ve learnt to say sorry and it’s important.”
There isn’t a lot that Mary hasn’t done in her long and varied career – except Strictly Come Dancing. So does she fancy a turn on the dance floor, in the arms of a leading professional? “I have not got Angela Rippon ’s legs,” says Mary. “There is absolutely no chance I’ll do Strictly. I’m not tempted in any way, ever.”
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Mary Makes It Easy is out nowThere are still new frontiers for Mary, though. Her new show sees her help radio star Jordan North with his dinner party menus and in return he teaches her to TikTok and play darts at the pub. “I was rubbish at darts!” she laughs. Mary adds that one of her favourite episodes was when she cooked with Michael Ball in a theatre. “One of my big treats was singing with Michael Ball and actually cooking in such a beautiful theatre. He was very keen to expand his repertoire.”
Mary received her DBE from Prince William in 2021 and the gong was especially resonant for her. “It hasn’t changed anything but I’m very pleased that I was the first cook to be made a dame. I’m not academic but I’ve done my very best to teach people how to cook, and to enjoy cooking as much as I do,” says Mary. “Quietly I’m very honoured. I wish my parents were at the end of the phone when that message came through but, of course, they are a long time in heaven.”
Mary had met Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales before, when they appeared on her festive special A Berry Royal Christmas in 2019. At the time she was impressed with the royals’ kitchen skills. “Catherine is a very good cook. She did piping, she did all sorts of things and she’s competitive,” reveals Mary. “They were cooking together, William and Catherine, and there was no doubt they were enjoying it. I remember they said, ‘Well, who’s won?’ and I said, ‘I think it’s a draw.’ They were so equal, it was quite right it was a draw.”
Mary Makes It Easy is on Thursday, 7.30pm, BBC Two. Mary Makes It Easy is published W by BBC Books, priced £28.
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