Dame Prue Leith confirmed she won’t be returning to the Channel 4 tent
Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood reacted to Dame Prue Leith’s exit statement after nine years of her on the Channel 4 show.
Paul Hollywood joined The Great British Bake Off when it first aired in 2010 as one of the original two judges alongside Mary Berry, becoming a permanent fixture from the very first series.
In 2016, Mary Berry announced that she would be leaving the series as the show made the change from the BBC over to Channel 4. At the time, hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins also left.
While in 2017 Noel Fielding and Sandy Toksvig took over in the presenting role, it was Dame Prue Leith who stood by Paul’s side in the famous tent to welcome new bakers year after year.
In the latest series, Prue and Paul were joined by presenters Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond who had taken over from Matt Lucas in 2023 as they congratulated Jasmine on being the most recent ultimate Star Baker.
However, last year viewers became concerned that Prue was leaving after she didn’t star in the Stand Up To Cancer special. Instead, it was her good friend Caroline Waldegrave who took over for the episode.
Although she reassured that she’d be back in the tent for the 2025 series, on Wednesday (January 21) Prue confirmed that she’ll now be leaving after nine years on the series and won’t be appearing in the 2026 instalment later this year.
Speaking to The Sun exclusively about her exit, Prue also took to her Instagram and shared: “After nine series and judging more than 400 challenges, I have decided to step down as a judge on The Great British Bake Off.
“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.
“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.”
Paul Hollywood made his own post as he shared a snap of him and Prue dressed up for Bake Off as he penned a simple message to his former co-star. He wrote: “You’re the best Prue!” followed by a red heart emoji.
As her exit was confirmed, Love Productions added: “From her genuine expertise and encouragement of the bakers to her ability to drop innocent innuendos that reduce the entire tent (and the audience at home) to tears of laughter, Prue will always have a piece of Bake Off’s heart.”
Ian Katz, Chief Content Officer at Channel 4, also praised Prue for her years on the hit show, and admitted: “Prue Leith has been a joyous presence in the tent, pairing absolute culinary authority with great generosity and empathy for the bakers.
“We are grateful for her passion, her wit, her ineffable style, and all the summers she spent in the tent. She leaves an indelible mark on the show and all its bakers. We will miss her wry, gentle judgement but look forward to working with her on new projects.”
