Dame Prue Leith has opened up about her future on the Great British Bake Off, revealing that she once considered quitting all Bake Off-related shows before learning she could selectively step back. With a demanding schedule spanning the main Great British Bake Off, Celebrity Bake Off, Junior Bake Off, and the Great American Baking Show, Prue, 85, admits the intense workload was overwhelming.
In an interview on the Spooning with Mark Wogan podcast, Prue explained her decision: “I thought I had to do it all – the Celebrity Bake Off, the Great British Bake Off, the Great American Baking Show, plus Junior Bake Off. I’d been working from April to September without a break for seven years and realized I needed a summer holiday.”
Initially intending to quit altogether, Prue approached Love Productions’ producers only to be surprised by their flexibility. “They said, ‘Why don’t you just quit enough to get the summer holiday you want?’ I asked if I could truly choose which shows to step back from, and they said, ‘Yes, pick the one you don’t want to do.’”
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Prue decided to step back specifically from the Celebrity Bake Off to reduce her filming commitments but remains enthusiastic about continuing with the main show and other projects. “I absolutely love working on Bake Off and am looking forward to filming the next series and meeting our new bakers,” she said.
Making clear she plans to leave on her own terms, Prue added, “I want to go before I’m pushed. I don’t want some poor executive telling me it’s time.”
This clarification follows earlier reports that Prue was being replaced on the Celebrity Bake Off by her friend Caroline Waldegrave OBE for the Stand Up To Cancer special. However, Prue confirmed her step back is simply about managing the demanding filming schedule rather than ending her Bake Off journey.