Prue Leith, 83, reveals she had a secret 13-year affair with a family friend

‘He was the most important person in my life’: Prue Leith, 83, reveals she had a secret 13-year affair with a family friend

Great British Bake Off star Prue Leith has spoken out on the 13-year affair she had with her husband, Rayne Kruger.

Prue, 83, and author Rayne were married from 1974 to 2002 before he died at the age of 80.

But their long marriage started out as an affair. Prue has written about their relationship in her new autobiography Relish.

Speaking about her decision to reveal all in the memoir, Prue explained she had no desire to be ‘discreet’ about her personal life declaring: ‘If there are things in your life you’re not exactly proud of, but they would be interesting to the reader, you should try to tackle them.’

Speaking out: Great British Bake Off star Prue Leith has spoken out on the 13-year affair she had with her husband, Rayne Kruger

First love: The South African cook was married to author Rayne Kruger from 1974 to 2002, and shared two children, before he died at the age of 80

First love: The South African cook was married to author Rayne Kruger from 1974 to 2002, and shared two children, before he died at the age of 80

Speaking to Kate Thornton on the White Wine Question Time podcast, Prue explained: ‘I thought, “You know, to skip it when Rayne was the most important person in my life . . . how could I not tell his whole story?” So I did.’

Prue worked with Rayne, who at the time was married to the late South African actress Nan Munro – Prue’s mother’s best friend. 

‘I never asked him to leave his wife because I was very happy,’ she explained of their affair.

‘I had none of the duties of life and all of the pleasures of somebody who loved me. I wasn’t pressing for marriage. We did have 13 secret years and nobody ever guessed because we were discreet.’

‘But it was easier in a way because he was a family friend, chairman of my company, and he’d helped me enormously and everyone knew we were great friends.’

Eventually Rayne left his wife to start a life, and a family, with Prue. They share son Danny and daughter, Li-Da.

Amazingly the couple remained good friends with Nan who forgave them for the affair, with Prue calling her ‘an extraordinary woman.’

After Rayne’s death Prue, who was 62 when he died, went on to marry again in 2016 to her current husband, retired English fashion designer John Playfair, which she did not expect.

In the past, Prue has regularly spoken about her relationship with John and previously candidly discussed their sex life.

During a Loose Women interview, the cook shared details while discussing the recent finding that millennials are having less sex. She was asked by Saira Khan about the recent finding, and replied with a giggle, ‘Try it, it’s quite nice.’

Love: After Rayne's death Prue, who was 62 when he died, went on to marry again in 2016 to her current husband, retired English fashion designer John Playfair (pictured in 2018)

Love: After Rayne’s death Prue, who was 62 when he died, went on to marry again in 2016 to her current husband, retired English fashion designer John Playfair (pictured in 2018) 

While in an interview with The Sun, she said: ‘Older people think that’s rather romantic and charming. Younger people think, “Good Lord, are they really still at it?”‘

She added: ‘It will sound a rather pompous thing to say but it’s quite healthy that older women like me are not just expected to sit in a corner and knit.’

Prue started her career at the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in 1960 and went on to open her Michelin starred restaurant Leith’s nine years later.

After becoming a food columnist she turned her talents to writing cookery books and was a successful novelist, she now judges The Great British Bake Off.

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk