Paul Hollywood: Police asked if I wanted them to arrest Mary Berry for vandalism after she 'defaced' my car

Hollywood kindly decided not to press charges over the incident

Let it never be said that Mary Berry is without a sense of humour.

She’s an unlikely vandal, but the chef apparently defaced Paul Hollywood’s car after one Great British Bake Off episode.

The incident even attracted the attention of the police, who asked Hollywood if he would like to have the 79-year-old arrested.

“There was a police officer escorting me out towards my car,” he said on The Jonathan Ross Show, which is due to air on 1 November. “And I was with security and they said, ‘Your car is over there Mr Hollywood… have you noticed what’s on your car?’

“I said, ‘What do you mean?’ they said, ‘Someone has written on your car… Mary has written on your car!’”

On closer inspection, the chef found that Berry had written ‘Love Mary x’ in marker pen – a somewhat mild form of graffiti.

“I phoned her up because she was on her way home and I said, ‘Mary what are you doing?’” recalled Hollywood.

“‘Oh I thought it was just marvellous,’ [she said]... But the police officer was there and she said, ‘Would you like Mary arrested?’ and I said, ‘Yes I do, I want Mary arrested, criminal damage!’”

Although the chef gallantly decided not to press charges, he did guilt trip his co-presenter in removing the offending scribble.

“I did get her back though because we were at Bake Off a week later and I couldn’t get [the pen] off and I said to her, ‘Mary, that’s still on my car,’” he said.

“I caught her, she went outside with a wet wipe… so I left her there for about half an hour! It was quite funny, it did double the price!”