Nigella Lawson gives update on future saying she is nervous

The cook and broadcaster, 66, will join The Great British Bake Off as a judge for the new series starting next month on Channel 4.

She will be taking over from Dame Prue Leith, 86, who stepped down earlier this year from the programme she had joined in 2017.

In a post shared on Instagram, Lawson said: “I’m a bit nervous, very excited, and extremely happy: Bake Off is back on our screens next month.

“I’ve loved every minute.

“It’s a real honour to be part of something so special.

“Thank you Paul Hollywood, Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding making me feel so instantly part of the family.

“You three plus cake: talk about the dream job.”

Her message was met with enthusiasm from fans and celebrities alike, including Alan Carr, who commented with fire emojis, and Queer Eye’s Tan France, who said he “cannot wait” to see her on the show.

Her comments come just a day after Channel 4 released a first-look image of Lawson on set, standing alongside presenters Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond, and fellow judge Paul Hollywood.

The broadcaster confirmed that filming for the new season is complete, with episodes set to air from next month.

Channel 4 said viewers can look forward to seeing Lawson bring her “trademark warmth, wit and passion for flavour to the tent.”

“I am excited, but I take it very seriously”

In January, during an appearance on ITV’s This Morning, Lawson shared: “I am excited, but I take it very seriously.

“The thing about Bake Off is that it’s about the programme – which is an institution of national treasure status – and it’s about the bakers, and I just want to be there and be a part of it.”

Lawson is one of the UK’s best-loved food personalities, having risen to fame in the late 1990s through her bestselling cookbooks and popular TV shows.

An Oxford graduate who began her career in journalism, she achieved literary success with her debut book How To Eat, followed by the award-winning How To Be A Domestic Goddess, which won her the British Book Award for author of the year in 2001.

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She later fronted Channel 4’s Nigella Bites before moving on to programmes with ITV and the BBC.

Lawson has also appeared on MasterChef Australia and MasterChef US, and served as a judge on two seasons of the Australian show My Kitchen Rules.

Will you be watching the new series of The Great British Bake Off? Let us know in the comments.