Great British Bake Off judge and renowned chef Prue Leith has made a revelation that will shock fans of the much-loved show.
The 78-year-old has revealed that despite her role in the hit Channel 4 show which involves judging contestants skills at creating and presenting amazing sweet presentations, she doesn’t actually enjoy the process herself.
During an appearance at Truro School in Cornwall, she as asked by a student when she discovered her own passion for baking.
But Prue surprised onlookers, according to Cornwall Live, by replying: ‘I don’t have a passion for baking.
‘I have a passion for eating cakes, but I am more interested in savoury cooking than baking.’
She was launching a new pop-up cookery school in connection with Leiths School of Food and Wine, which she founded in 1975 with Caroline Waldegrave.
Bake Off judge Prue Leith opening the Leiths Cookery School at Truro School. She made a shocking confession to school students by admitting she doesn’t have a passion for baking
Prue with fellow judge Paul Hollywood and hosts Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig during biscuit week. Despite her lack of enthusiasm for baking, she insists she loves eating the contestants’ sweet treats
By contrast, her fellow judge Paul Hollywood is passionate about baking after working in his father’s bakery as a teenager and going on to serve as head baker at hotels in Britain and around the world.
Whenever it comes to bread week on the show, he always takes the lead in setting the challenges and contestants know he will be tough to impress, thanks to his expertise.
Prue replaced her great friend Mary Berry as a judge on Bake Off in 2017, and now stars in the hit show alongside other newcomers Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding.
Only Paul Hollywood remains from the original line-up, when the show first aired on BBC.
Prue Leith officially opens the Leiths Cookery School at Truro School. The Bake Off judge surprised students with her answer when asked when she discovered her own passion for baking
Last year, Prue was left devastated when she mistakenly sent out a tweet revealing Sophie Faldo had won the competition, hours before the finale broadcast.
The misguided tweet was swiftly deleted, but not before it began circulating on the web and the surprise was ruined for thousands of fans.
Prue, who was in Bhutan when she sent the tweet, apologised and blamed her confusion over the time difference.
Speaking during an appearance on This Morning, Prue told Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield she was horrified by her mistake.
‘I felt suicidal… Awful. The thing that upset me most was that it would take attention off the winner. And Sophie had worked for this moment for months and months and all the column inches would be about that.’
During an appearance on This Morning in November 2017, Prue Leith revealed she felt ‘suicidal’ after accidentally revealing the winner of last year’s competition hours before the finale aired
New judge Prue Leith accidentally gave away the fact that Sophie was the winner in a tweet sent a 10.37am UK time on the morning of the final
Prue had publicly congratulated Sophie on her Bake Off victory on the day of the hotly-anticipated final – hours before the show was broadcast.
She explained: ‘Do you know that was one of the worst half an hours… It was the most idiotic thing I have ever done.
‘I was in Bhutan, I had not had any reception, so when I turned on my phone, there was this mass of tweets. One of them said don’t forget to congratulate the winner after 10.30pm.’
It was then that she rushed to share the tweet and went in to ‘panic mode’ when she realised that she had revealed the news millions of fans had been patiently waiting weeks for.
Prue explained that she was mortified and was worried how Sophie would react, saying she emailed the winner, who she said reassured her.
‘You have to be a real idiot to do that,’ she told Phil and Holly.
‘We kept it secret, we had kept it secret for eight years until I came along!’
Prue Leith with winner Sophie Faldo and fellow judge Paul Hollywood after she was announced as the winner on the show