The Great British Bake Off 2016 winner: Candice Brown crowned Series 6 champion

31-year-old PE teacher takes the title with magnificent meringues and fabulous fruit tarts in last BBC show before programme moves to Channel 4

Candice Brown won over the judges - and Bake Off fans - with her ambitious bakes, family-based recipes and colourful lipstick (BBC)

Candice Brown has been crowned winner of The Great British Bake Off after seeing off rivals Jane Beedle and Andrew Smyth in the final of the tent-based cooking challenge.

The 31-year-old from North London became famous among fans of the show for her ambitious bakes, using family memories to inspire her cooking, and her brightly coloured lipsticks which included a different shade each week.

She came top in the royal-themed final show after wowing judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry during the last episode to be screened on BBC before the programme moves to Channel 4 next year.

The PE teacher, who lives in Bedfordshire, becomes the seventh winner off Bake Off and follows in the footsteps of 2015 winner Nadiya Begum, who, since winning last year’s series, has released several cookery books and become a television star.

Candice won the ‘star baker’ award three times during the course of the ten-week series and claimed the title after edging out rivals Jane, a garden designer, and engineer Andrew.

Her mango and strawberry meringue crown in the signature challenge earned her a handshake from Paul Hollywood.

She finished second in the technical challenge, which saw the contestants asked to make a victoria sponge sandwich without being given any instructions.

Her jam had not set, but she won marks for a well-baked sponge.

“The victoria sandwich tastes good but the butter cream is quite grainy”, Hollywood told her.

And after excelling in the showstopper, which saw the contestants asked to make sausage rolls, fruit tarts, scones, mini quiches and chocolate cakes, judges Berry and Hollywood declared her the BBC’s last ever Great British Bake Off winner.

Candice said: "That means more to me than I think anyone will ever realise."

"I saw and I wished and I hoped it was OK but you just don't know. Jane and Andrew are so good."

"I did it. I'm good. I'm good enough".

She broke down in tears after the result was announced and was shown celebrating with her boyfriend, Liam Macauley.

The winner and co-finalist Jane are now reported to planning a "baking roadtrip".

Paul Hollywood said: "Candice is very much all or nothing. When you look back on some of her bakes, they have been beautiful. When she nails it, she's one of the best".

The next series of Bake Off will be screened on Channel 4 after after it out-bid the BBC for the rights to the much-loved show.

Presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins have already announced they will leave the programme, but Paul Hollywood will continue as a judge.

Meanwhile the BBC has announced plans for a new cookery show. The Big Family Cookery Challenge will see family teams compete against each other, with judges travelling around the country to meet and assess the families' baking in their homes.