Great British Bake Off host Paul Hollywood and his wife Alex are separating after nearly 20 years of marriage.
The couple said in a joint statement: ‘It is with sadness that we have decided to separate.
‘Our focus continues to be the happiness of our son, and we would ask the press and public to allow us privacy as a family during this very difficult time.’
Earlier this month Paul was pictured kissing the winner of the seventh season of Bake Off, Candice Brown, 32.
Great British Break Off: Host Paul Hollywood, 51, and his wife Alex (pictured) are separating after nearly 20 years of marriage, they have said in a joint statement
Baker Candice, who recently announced her engagement to Liam Macauley, was spotted with Paul as he cupped the back of her head and kissed her goodbye following a night out at Pride of Britain Awards in London.
She was also seen toying with Paul’s ear as they relaxed at the table at the Grosvenor House Hotel.
After the images were released, Candice branded it a ‘goodbye peck’.
Mr and Mrs Hollywood, who is also a chef, married in 1998, and they have a teenage son together.
They previously separated in 2013 when the TV chef admitted to having an affair with Marcela Valladolid, 39, his co-star on the US version of Bake Off.
The couple reconciled a few months later and he described the incident as ‘the biggest mistake of my life’ in an interview with BBC radio.
The 51-year-old baker will return as a judge for the second series of Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off next year.
Paul Hollywood and newly-engaged baker Candice Brown were spotted locking lips after the Pride of Britain Awards earlier this month
Paul Hollywood is pictured with Marcela Valladolid with whom he had an affair