PRUE LEITH REJECTED REQUEST FROM BAKE OFF BOSSES AS SHE CONFESSES 'I REALLY DON'T CARE'
Prue Leith has revealed that she once turned down a request from Great British Bake Off bosses due to concerns over a particular "danger." Despite being a fan of dancing, the South African-British restaurateur disclosed that both her late husband, Rayne Kruger, and her current husband, John Playfair, "flatly" refused to even "stand on the spot and jiggle."
Last month, 86-year-old Prue announced she would be stepping down from the Channel 4 baking programme, citing her age and noting that she was "getting on a bit." Her advancing years don't appear to have dampened her enthusiasm for the dance floor, however, as just last year Prue "couldn't resist" when given the opportunity to show off her moves alongside fellow Bake Off favourite Alison Hammond.
In her latest book, Being Old...and Learning to Love It!, she wrote: "Once, during filming an introductory link to a Bake Off series, we were asked to dance in a rough and lumpy field. The danger of this old lady tripping and falling was far greater than the brief pleasure I'd get from whirling around with Noel (Fielding) or Paul (Hollywood), and I declined.
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"But when, last year, we were filming the New Year's episode, we had a steel band in the famous tent. Alison Hammond, exuberant as always, was the first up and dancing, and soon I couldn't resist and joined her. While writing this, I've not yet seen the resulting film and can only hope the editors have been kind and cut me out if I look the idiot I probably am. But the point is, even if they don't, I really don't care."
Due to be succeeded by celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, known for programmes including Nigella Bites and Nigella Kitchen, Prue was recently questioned about whether she had any guidance for the incoming judge. Speaking to BBC Radio Oxford regarding Nigella, Prue offered nothing but praise for her, insisting the 66-year-old "knows her onions" and describing her as "wonderful."
She remarked: "She doesn't need any advice from me. She's so good and she will bring to it's a whole fresh look and she'll be wonderful. She's funny, she knows her onions and she's delightful." (sic). Addressing her departure with The Spectator, writer Prue revealed that she'd been "dithering for years" regarding choosing a time to step down.
She commented: "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. 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."
Last year, Prue shed light on a "genuine sadness" that she feels when confronted with Bake Off's "bittersweet" reality. In a frank interview reported back in May 2025, the former Bake Off star opened up about what she termed the "competitive angle" on the popular Channel 4 cookery show.
She suggested that the show had a drawback that left Prue feeling "sad", despite making for "good television." She told Luxury London in 2024: "The competitive angle makes the Bake Offs very different from most food shows. You get so fond of the bakers and then you have to kick one off."
In further comments about the show, Prue, who is also a cookery writer and novelist, added: "It really is bittersweet. It makes for good television, but you do feel genuine sadness when you have to say goodbye to someone who is so delightful and has tried so hard."
Addressing her exit from the show this year, she wrote on Instagram: "Bake Off has been a fabulous part of my life for the last nine years, I have genuinely loved it and I'm sure I'll miss working with my fellow judge Paul, Alison and Noel and the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4. But now feels like the right time to step back (I'm 86 for goodness sake!), there's so much I'd like to do, not least spend summers enjoying my garden."
2026-03-02T07:13:36Z