Culinary icon and Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith has revealed concerns about possibly developing dementia as she notices her memory becoming more fallible with age. Turning 85 this year, Prue has been open about her thoughts on aging and mortality, addressing these issues with her trademark honesty.
Prue shared that her mother, South African actress Margaret Inglis, lived with dementia for 15 years before she passed away in 2010. Witnessing her mother’s decline has understandably caused Prue to worry about facing a similar future. Speaking to The Times, she said, “I definitely am getting more forgetful. I mean, I don’t think I’ve got dementia, but I might [in the future].”
She jokingly confessed, “I’m no good at names. I think I’m too selfish or something to bother to remember them. And that’s often embarrassing. I mean, I’ve forgotten yours already.”
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Prue’s forthcoming book, Being Old and Learning to Love It, due out next February, is a heartfelt collection of essays exploring themes such as love, grief, work, fashion, and fame through the lens of aging. In the book, she reflects on how her mother “lost her mind completely” yet remained “perfectly cheerful” until the end, a bittersweet juxtaposition that was difficult for her family but comforting for her mother.
Currently married to former fashion designer John Playfair, Prue is a mother of two. Her first husband, Rayne Kruger, a South African property developer and writer, died in 2002. Prue has also been an advocate for assisted dying, influenced by the agonizing death of her brother David from bone cancer in 2012.
Despite her concerns about aging, Prue maintains an active and vibrant lifestyle. She recently tried weight loss injections but discontinued them quickly after they suppressed her appetite without any weight loss. She also enjoys a glass or two of wine each evening, often outdrinking her husband.
Born in South Africa in 1940, Prue moved to London in 1960 to study at the Cordon Bleu Cookery School. In 1969, she launched Leith’s, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Notting Hill. She made a name for herself as a food writer and broke into television as a judge on BBC’s The Great British Menu in 2006 before joining The Great British Bake Off, succeeding Dame Mary Berry.
While Prue’s role on Bake Off has raised her public profile significantly, she’s quick to address a common misconception. She shared, “It irritates my husband that people think I’m just a cakemaker. Especially because I don’t actually bake.”
Fans can catch Prue Leith on The Great British Bake Off airing Tuesday, November 4 at 8 pm on Channel 4.