Former Great British Bake Off star Dame Prue Leith has shared a huge health update with her online followers after she was taken into hospital amid fears she was suffering from a stroke09:17, 13 Aug 2026Dame Prue Leith has given fans an update after suffering a suspected stroke. The Former Great British Bake Off star, 86, was left unable to speak during a recent bout of ill health, which left her husband John Playfair convinced she was having a stroke.‌The TV star later confirmed that she was suffering a migraine attack, and her vision deteriorated during the attack. But despite knowing the symptoms were those of a migraine attack, Dame Prue informed her husband about this, but he was too concerned and called for an ambulance.‌She was rushed to Harrogate Hospital and was treated in the Accident and Emergency department. Taking to Instagram to share an update, Dame Prue said: "For those that have messaged me, I wrote a piece of @theoldiemagazine about my trip to hospital a couple of months ago. I was fine shortly after and I am very much alive and kicking now!"‌In her column, Dame Prue wrote: "A few weeks ago, staying in Yorkshire, I had a migraine attack. It followed a familiar path. First, I can see only half of whatever I’m looking at.“This is speedily followed by a bright circle of flickering, coloured lights in the upper right field of vision. I don't swiftly swallow one of my migraine 'bombs' (three pills: paracetamol, ibuprofen and sumatriptan), a crashing headache will follow."‌She went on to add: "This time, my incomprehensible jumble of disconnected words convinced John I was having a stroke. I tried to tell him it was just a migraine, but I couldn’t string two words together."Prue then explained that even though she could in fact raise her right arm and her face was not drooping, both of which are symptoms used to check for a stroke, the operator that John spoke to decided to send an ambulance, and she soon found herself at Harrogate Hospital.The TV star then explained that what followed was a six-hour wait in A&E, and after eventually undergoing a CT scan at midnight, she was released at two o'clock in the morning.‌She then concluded her column by noting that whilst she "knew all along" that she was having a migraine, because loss of speech is a major symptom of a stroke, it was better "safe than sorry" in this case.Prue, who appeared as a judge on Bake Off for almost a decade but announced her departure earlier this year, also recalled that she suffered her first migraine at the age of nine.She explained that, at the time, her speech went "bananas" and she suddenly said: "I want fish!" Speaking earlier this year about her departure from Bake Off, Dame Prue said: "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, Alison and Noel and the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4.Article continues below"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."Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.