31 October 2023 , 19:00
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Noel Fielding might be best known for hosting The Great British Bake Off, but he made a name for himself decades before thanks to his success in comedy. He is the whimsical creator of the one-of-a-kind The Mighty Boosh alongside Julian Barratt, which went on to win many awards in the noughties.
The 50-year-old also starred in hit shows such as Nathan Barley and The IT Crowd before landing his own Channel 4 programme called Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy. However, it isn't just younger Bake Off viewers who might not know about Noel's former career, as even judge Prue Leith hadn't heard of the funnyman before joining the presenting line-up.
During an appearance on Lorraine, the baker shared her thoughts on Matt Lucas' Bake Off exit and awkwardly confessed: "I'd never heard of Noel Fielding until he's come in." Speaking about her hopes for Lucas' replacement, which turned out to be the loveable Brummy Alison Hammond, the 83-year-old added: "I'd like an older comedian. The truth is I've never understood Matt and Noel's jokes anyway."
Away from screens, Noel, who loves to don a quirky jumper, is settled down with long-term partner Lliana Bird, whom he also shares two children with. But before his quieter home life, he was linked to a number of rock star women over the years...
Lliana Bird
Noel and Lliana have been together for over a decade (Getty Images)
The couple share two children together and live in leafy North London (Getty Images)Noel has been in a relationship with Lliana Bird, a 42-year-old broadcaster, podcaster, writer and activist, since 2010 and the pair live in leafy Highgate, North London, with their two children. Lliana, who goes by the nickname Birdy, gave birth to her first daughter in 2018, who they named Dali after the Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali, so is now thought to be five years old.
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Second daughter, Iggy – thought to be named after singer Iggy Pop – was born in August 2020, so has just turned three. As well as being in media, Birdy is also a performer and has appeared in various theatre shows. She has her own production company, Bird & Be, and is co-founder of , a non-profit organisation supporting refugees and globally displaced people.
Prior to this she was a radio presenter, who used to host the Sunday evening show on Radio X. And she has written a book called The Mice Who Sing For Sex: And Other Weird Tales From The World Of Science. This month the mum-of-two announced she had published her first children’s book, which she called a “total dream”.
Writing on Instagram, she told her 32,000 followers: “I’m over the moon to finally be able to share some news I’ve been holding in for a long time. This September my first children’s book will be published, by the incredible Rocket Bird Books. I honestly couldn’t be prouder to be one of their writers... It’s a total dream.”
Delia Gaitskell
Noel dated ex Delia Gaitskell in his Mighty Boosh days (pictured with co-creator Julian Barratt) (Getty Images)
Noel is also said to have had a fling with The Kills star Alison Mosshart (Getty Images)Prior to meeting Lliana, Noel was in a relationship with Delia Gaitskell, also known as Dee Plume, of the band Robots in Disguise. Dee has appeared in many episodes of The Mighty Boosh, sometimes with bandmate Sue Denim, so this could be how they met.
Dee and Noel dated for around 10 years and although he is on Bake Off now, it is claimed the TV star knew nothing about cooking when they were together in his younger years. Her dad Ted revealed Noel “hardly ever cooked for my daughter”.
Expressing his surprise that Noel had landed the Bake Off job, Ted said: “All he would ever do was some pasta with some sauce. I am surprised he has got the job. He was never, ever into cooking, not in the slightest.” Although they are no longer together, Dee and Noel are still said to be good friends – despite Noel being linked to a number of other women during his ‘hedonistic phase’, including Courtney Love and Bob Geldof’s daughter Pixie.
Courtney Love
Courtney Love and Noel partied together in the Noughties and are thought to have had a romance (Getty Images)Noel was pictured on many a night out with Hole singer Courtney Love, who was famously married to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. The pair are said to have struck up a friendship in 2006, but it was reported it later turned into a romance.
While they never officially confirmed they were a couple, Noel and Courtney were spotted holding hands and looking cosy on nights out around London in the noughties, especially in Camden where he hung out with Amy Winehouse and Alison Mosshart from band The Kills – who he is also rumoured to have a fling with. She is now in a relationship with British actor Damian Lewis.
During an appearance on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Noel recalled his wilder years – when he admitted doing far too many drugs – and revealed things were “a bit dicey” about 10 years ago before he got clean. Putting on an impression of Courtney, he said: “I had 10 years where Courtney Love was going, ‘Ok, you gotta go home now, you gotta go home. It’s over. The party’s over now, go home!”
Pixie Geldof
Noel and Pixie Geldof were linked in 2007 when she was 16 and he was 33 (Getty Images)Noel was also been linked to Boomtown Rat star Bob Geldof’s daughter Pixie. Back in 2007 the reported Pixie had been spotted "canoodling" with Noel, and "couldn't take her eyes off him".
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At the time Noel was 33 and she was just 16 and studying for her GCSEs. According to The Sun. Noel said of Pixie: “She’s incredible. There’s a chemistry between us and we liked each other, but she’s so much younger.”
Denying they were anything more than friends, he added: “When I first met her I had no idea who she was and that she was so young. It caused a lot of problems because her dad wanted to kill me obviously.” They were also spotted looking cosy two years later in 2009, too, but Noel insisted they were "just friends" and denied they were ever in a relationship. Speaking at the Galaxy British Book Awards, Noel said: "It’s just these things are… like fairytales aren’t they?"