Prue Leith reveals she tried to quit the Great British Bake Off

‘I hardly saw my family,’ the judge said

Prue Leith has admitted she tried to resign from her role as a judge on The Great British Bake Off.

The restaurateur, 84, has been a part of the much-loved baking programme since its move from the BBC to Channel 4 in 2017, replacing the expert role formerly held by Mary Berry.

Leith said she realised Bake Off’s filming schedule had become too intense when she was forced to sacrifice time off and seeing her family in order to keep up with the show’s demands.

Speaking to The Mirror, she said: “I was in a new house and I hardly saw the garden, I hardly saw my family and I never had a summer holiday.”

In order to stop Leith from quitting, Bake Off producers agreed to change the star’s filming schedule so she could have more time off.

“So, I got what I wanted, which is to do less,” she said. “I’m so grateful to Love Productions because they’ve been very accommodating.” Last year, it was announced that Leith would not take part in a future celebrity edition of the programme, raising money for cancer charities.

In a comment made to The Independent, the judge said: “I absolutely love working on Bake Off and am looking forward to filming the next series and meeting our new bakers.

Noel Fielding, Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith and Alison Hammond on ‘The Great British Bake Off’ (Channel 4)

“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.”

It comes shortly after Bake Off presenter Noel Fielding said Leith and her co-judge Paul Hollywood make him “livid” when they give harsh feedback to the bakers.

“I feel protective of them. If Paul and Prue are hard on them, I’m absolutely livid. It’s devastating when they leave,” he said. “This year I was particularly fond of one baker. When I had to send them home, I cried.”

Hollywood, Fielding and Leith on ‘The Great British Bake Off’ (Channel 4)

The 12 aspiring bakers set to battle it out in the 2024 Bake Off tent have now been announced ahead of the show’s return.

Among those hoping to be named star baker is 67-year-old Jeff, a former university lecturer from West Yorkshire, who moved to the UK from the Bronx. 

He will be competing against the likes of 29-year-old Mike, a farm manager from Wiltshire, and 34-year-old Georgie, a paediatric nurse from Carmarthenshire.

You can read the full list of 2024 Bake Off contestants here.

The Great British Bake Off returns on 24 September at 8pm on Channel 4.