Featured Image Credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images/Channel 4
Topics: Great British Bake Off, Channel 4, TV And Film, Celebrity
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Great British Bake Off, Channel 4, TV And Film, Celebrity
While fans of the Great British Bake Off have been relishing Prue Leith's cheeky innuendos and flamboyant specs since the culinary competition returned last month, many have been blindsided by the revelation that she almost didn't come back for the 2024 series.
Speaking to press recently, the 84-year-old admitted she was eventually persuaded by both her co-stars and Channel 4 producers - but that she took much convincing...
Prue's almost-departure comes after years of staff shifting at Bake Off.
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Only original fans of the show will recall that, when the series was first introduced all the way back in 2010, it actually aired on BBC Two.
During this time, the show was presented by co-hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, and the judges were culinary veteran Mary Berry and baking hunk Paul Hollywood.
The foursome remained on the hit show when it transferred to BBC One in 2014 following a surge in popularity, where GBBO became one of the broadcaster's flagship shows.
Producers announced in 2016 that the series would be moving over to Channel 4.
Both Mel and Sue and Mary subsequently announced they'd be quitting, with Prue Leith being called in to replace the latter, where she has starred alongside Paul ever since.
Eight years on and Prue has cemented herself in the Bake Off hall of fame.
And only recently did fans of the show feel heartbroken to learn that she previously considered hanging up her apron ahead of this year's instalment.
The restauranteur recently told press that she felt as though filming was taking up too much of her summer, and that she was struggling with an intense schedule.
Recalling how recording usually stretched from April until the end of August with no weekends off, she told The Mirror: "I was in a new house and I hardly saw the garden, I hardly saw my family and I never had a summer holiday."
Thankfully, Prue raised the issue with producers, who agreed to change the filming schedule in order to afford her some more time off.
"So, I got what I wanted, which is to do less," she explained. "I'm so grateful to Love Productions because they've been very accommodating."
This isn't the first time that Prue has lifted the lid on the realities involved with being part of the show.
Recently, she admitted she almost didn't apply for Mary Berry's job out of fear that she wouldn't tick any 'diversity boxes'.
Speaking on the Sliding Doors podcast, she explained: "I just jumped at it. I had begun to think about it, once I knew Mary Berry was not going to go on. I thought, 'Oh, I’d love that job', but I dismissed the thought.
"I thought, 'They’ll get someone younger, someone more... probably a young Asian chef or something, that would tick all the diversity boxes and stuff’.
"But no, they chose me."
And we're super glad they did, Prue!