This baker has left the building.
Prue Leith announced Jan. 21 she would be leaving Netflix's popular "The Great British Baking Show." The dame, chef and Michelin-star winner who is turning 86 has been the co-judge of the sweet-and-sunny culinary competition since 2017, when she took over for original judge Mary Berry (90). She has judged, alongside the show's perennial grump Paul Hollywood (59), over 400 challenges, she said in an Instagram post announcing her departure. The official social media accounts for the series and its U.K. network Channel 4 also announced the news.
"After nine series and judging more than 400 challenges, I have decided to step down as a judge on 'The Great British Bake Off,'" Leith wrote alongside a photo with Hollywood. "Bake Off has been a fabulous part of my life for the last nine years, I have genuinely loved it and I’m sure I’ll miss working with my fellow judge Paul, [hosts] Alison [Hammond] and Noel [Fielding] and the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4. But now feels like the right time to step back (I’m 86 for goodness sake!), there’s so much I’d like to do, not least spend summers enjoying my garden. Whoever joins the team, I’m sure they’ll love it as much as I have. I feel very lucky to have been part of it."
