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Prue Leith reveals real reason she quit The Great British Bake Off after nine years

Dame Prue Leith has admitted she had been "dithering for years" about when to quit being a judge on The Great British Bake Off, and now she's opened up about leaving

[Dame Prue Leith]

Prue Leith has said she quit Bake Off as she wanted to "work less and play more"(Image: PA Media)

Dame Prue Leith has opened up about why she quit The Great British Bake Off.

It emerged last week that Dame Prue, 85, was stepping down as a judge on the Channel 4 baking show after nine series. Dame Prue joined the show in 2017 when it moved from the BBC to Channel 4, and will be replaced by TV chef Nigella Lawson.

Prue has admitted she finally decided to leave Bake Off as she wanted to "work less and play more". Writing for The Spectator, Dame Prue said: "I have been dithering for years about when to stop judging The Great British Bake Off.

"When I joined nine years ago, I thought, since I was in my mid-seventies, that I'd be lucky to manage two years.

[Noel Fielding, Alison Hammond, Paul Hollywood and Dame Prue Leith on The Great British Bake Off in 2024]

Prue finally decided to leave after a holiday in Madagascar(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

"At that age, my mother was deaf as a post and away with the fairies, believing her son was her father and that her cat was the one she'd had 40 years before.

"But my marbles stayed more or less in place and there seemed no good reason to give up a job I loved. Finally, though, the desire to work less and play more got to me.

"Bake Off and its offshoots such as The Great American Baking Show and even the Christmas specials are all filmed in the summer, which has meant I could never have a summer holiday."

[0_Nigella-Lawson.jpg]

Prue says her replacement judge Nigella is a "great baker" and "mighty glam"(Image: Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Dame Prue "finally jumped" and made the call to leave after a trip to Madagascar to escape the English winter. She said: "I suddenly realised that if I don't give up Bake Off, I'll never again have a holiday in the south of France, in Italy, in Spain, or even in Cornwall or Scotland."

Dame Prue has also thrown her support behind cookbook author Nigella, describing her as "a great baker" and "mighty glam". She also said that despite filming schedules making summer plans challenging, she "never had to learn lines, rehearse, go to meetings" and was able to just walk on and eat cake.

"There cannot be a better job in the world," she said. Dame Prue added: "(Lawson is) also really nice, mighty glam and seriously bright, sexy and sassy. I'm just glad she wasn't in the running nine years ago."

[Dame Prue Leith at Royal Ascot in 2024]

Prue says it has "been a joy" to be a judge on Bake Off(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Dame Prue said she will miss "being treated like a VIP (very important person)", fellow judge Paul Hollywood's teasing and her Bake Off co-presenters, Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding.

She gushed over the "unstoppable, loving, hilarious" Alison and her "giant hugs" and the "multi-talented, slightly crazy" comedian Noel.

She said: "I've made truly great friends. It has been a joy to work in such great company. I find it irritating when businesses insist their staff are all just one happy family.

"But that tent does seem to create an atmosphere of enjoyment, friendship and mutual support. But in the end, I persuaded myself that at 86, it was time I jumped before I was pushed.

"In all my conversations over the past two years with the bosses of Love Productions, which makes the programme, they've always insisted I was doing a great job and could stay as long as I like.

"And I know I'd enjoy it if I stayed. But I do want to reorganise my life a bit. Ideally, I'd like to work in winter and play in summer."

The Great British Bake Off will air later this year.

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