Prue Leith quits Great Celebrity Bake Off with famous chef 'set to replace her'
Dame Prue Leith is temporarily bowing out of Channel 4’s Great British Bake Off - and Nigella Lawson is a hot favourite to replace her.
The 84-year-old TV chef has been a judge on Bake Off since 2017 when she took over from original judge Mary Berry, 88. The show airs twice per year - with a celebrity version that is titled The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer that airs ahead of the Stand Up To Cancer annual telethon.
Dame Prue has already filmed the civilian version of the show for the 2024 season - but has confirmed she is stepping away for the next celebrity version of the show. The 2024 season of The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer is due to begin airing this weekend which will feature Prue.
In a statement to The Mirror, Dame Prue confirmed she will be taking time away from the Channel 4 show. She said: “I absolutely love working on Bake Off and am looking forward to filming the next series and meeting our new bakers, I am only stepping back from the Celebrity series, which is just a question of the filming commitment involved as we make these shows back to back.”
Nigella Lawson is tipped to replace Prue on Bake Off (BBC Studios / Jay Brooks)Her statement comes after The Sun reported that she was hoping to take time out to recharge between seasons of the show. A source told the outlet: “Prue absolutely loves working on Bake Off but filming two series a year can be punishing on top of her other commitments. She has already filmed the normal series, which will air this year but she will not appear on the celebrity version. Prue has made it clear she adores the show and would like to come back in 2025.”
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The Sun has reported that Nigella is in talks to replace Dame Prue on the celebrity version of the show - although a spokesperson for the star declined to comment when approached by the Mirror. Meanwhile, Paul Hollywood - the 58-year-old original judge of the show - will continue to judge the celebrity version of the show as standard. And Alison Hammond, 49, and Noel Fielding, 50, are continuing to co-host the show.
Last year, Dame Prue opened up about her experience of co-judging Bake Off - and explained how she managed to maintain her waistline while sampling cakes galore on camera. She told a podcast: “OK, people are all making the same thing but, if you think about it, all I have to do is eat a teaspoon of it. In a cake, you can get the filling, the icing and the sponge in one teaspoon.”
And explaining that small bites help her to avoid gaining a huge amount, she also said she avoids eating anything else for the first half of the day. Prue said: “I don’t eat anything else. I don’t eat lunch and I don’t eat breakfast.” She also added: “If you watch Paul, he never has more than one mouthful. I normally end up with two.”
The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer 2024 begins on Sunday 17 March on Channel 4 at 7:40pm.
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