Prue Leith reveals the real reason why she quit The Great British Bake Off

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Prue Leith has explained she left The Great British Bake Off due to concerns about having a fall while filming.

The chef and food writer said in January that she was leaving the show. At 86 years old, she wants to focus on other interests, like gardening.

Leith recently explained on The Shift podcast that she left the show because she’s become unsteady on her feet.

She said she started to feel unsteady and worried about falling while filming a scene in a field, fearing it would be embarrassing.

It wasn’t about judging cakes; they actually wanted us to dance in this field. It was a really bumpy, uneven space, but Noel was fantastic at jumping over all the little hills, and Paul was pretty good at it too, she explained.

She explained that she had a sudden realization she was about to completely fail, and it would be incredibly embarrassing. Because of this, she told them she didn’t want to proceed, and they were understanding and accepted her decision.

That was the first time I ever had to tell someone I couldn’t fulfill a request. After that, those situations started happening more and more often.

She addressed the 25-year age difference between herself and judge Paul Hollywood, explaining that Paul had playfully teased her about being older since she started on Bake Off.

She explained that he often used old-fashioned phrases like ‘Come along dear,’ ‘time for a nap,’ or ‘time for tea’ – it was a running joke between them. However, recently she’d started to think he had a point.

Had I continued on Bake Off, I would have requested a ramp for my RV. Paul would have been right to tease me, and likely would have stopped if I had.

Leith joined the series in 2017 when the baking show moved from the BBC to Channel 4.

After the news that she was leaving the show, it was announced that Nigella Lawson would be joining Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding as a host.

The celebrated chef and television personality admitted she felt a little intimidated to be taking over from Prue Leith and the legendary Mary Berry, but expressed her enthusiastic excitement about joining the show.

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The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 later this year.

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Molly MossTrends Writer

Molly Moss writes about the newest trends in television, movies, and other entertainment for TopMob. She has a master’s degree in journalism and has also contributed to major publications like The Guardian, The Times, and The Sun Online.

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2026-03-16 14:34