13 December 2023 , 19:55
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As judges on the original BBC iteration of The Great British Bake Off, bakers Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood worked together as a team and forged a strong friendship.
However, their close bond was reportedly put to the test amid an alleged fall-out following his split from ex-wife Alex Hollywood, who Mary is said to have been good friends with. Paul, 57, and Alex hit the headlines in 2013 after he allegedly had an affair with chef Marcela Valladolid, then 34 to his 47. The pair went their separate ways, with Paul publicly expressing deep regret at the time.
After reconciling and vowing to work through their issues, Paul and Alex ended up breaking for good in 2017. In the same month as the split, Paul confirmed he was in a relationship with barmaid Summer Monteys-Fulham, then 23. Infuriated by the announcement, Alex filed for divorce on the grounds of adultery, claiming that Paul had begun his affair with Summer before they called it quits.
Mary is said to be great pals with Paul's ex-wife Alex (WireImage)
Paul attended the event with his then-girlfriend Summer (CH-IMAGES)Mary is said to have taken Alex's side on the matter, and things allegedly became very awkward when she and Paul attended the same food show back in December 2018.
The Sun reported at the time that Mary refused to take photos with Paul at the Good Food Show in Birmingham, which he attended with Summer, and also declined to appear onstage together, allegedly stating: "He is always working an angle." A source told the publication that Paul, who is originally from Wallasey, Cheshire, had asked Mary to join him onstage, claiming: "He tried to push her and she said no quite forcefully."
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They continued: "Mary was close to Paul's wife and has been disgusted by his treatment of her so it has soured their relationship. She also was disappointed that he continued to do Bake Off on Channel 4 which she felt showed a lack of character. Mary is a class act so was polite but she gave Summer an icy stare and refused to speak to her. The girlfriend said something and then gave Mary a really dirty look."
Mary addressed rumours of a rift in 2019Paul and Summer dated for two years, eventually calling it a day in 2019. That same year, Bath-born Mary shut down any rumours of a rift during an appearance on Angela Scanlon's Ask Me Anything chat show on RTE, clarifying that she 'of course' still likes her former co-star. Mary confirmed: "No, we've always got on. It's just that I stayed with the BBC when it went. And Mel [Giedroyc] did and Sue [Perkins] did. So we all keep in touch."
Earlier this year, Paul, who recently married new wife Melissa Spalding, joked about a much more light-hearted reason why he and Mary are 'always fighting'. Tweeting a pic of a tempting scone heaped with plenty of jam and cream, Paul wrote: "I am forever fighting with Mary about scones. She comes from the tradition of using plain flour in scones but in the professional industry, you use strong flour. When you make scones with strong flour you'll see the difference!"