Viewers are curious to know why Dame Prue Leith left The Great British Bake Off. She initially served as a judge on BBC Two’s Great British Menu, which she left to join Bake Off. On the popular baking reality show, Leith replaced Mary Berry as the judge for nine seasons. However, she has now decided to step back from the series, with TV cook and cookbook author Nigella Lawson stepping in to fill the vacant judge’s seat.
Here’s what happened and why Leith exited The Great British Bake Off.
Why Dame Prue Leith is leaving The Great British Bake Off
Leith revealed that she is leaving The Great British Bake Off as she wishes to “work less and play more.”
She wrote for the Spectator Australia, explaining why she decided to step back and reflecting on her nine-year journey on the baking show. She said, “I have been dithering for years about when to stop judging The Great British Bake Off. When I joined nine years ago, I thought, since I was in my mid-seventies, that I’d be lucky to manage two years. At that age, my mother was deaf as a post and away with the fairies, believing her son was her father and that her cat was the one she’d had 40 years before.”
At the time, as she was competent, she saw no reason to quit a job she “loved.” However, before long, the desire to “work less and play more” began to emerge, which led her to act on the decision. She also mentioned how she used to not get summer time off, as she was always engrossed filming Bake Off and its offshoots, including The Great American Baking Show and Christmas Specials at the time.
However, it was her trip to Madagascar that finally made her realize that it was time to retire from the show. “I suddenly realized that if I don’t give up Bake Off, I’ll never again have a holiday in the south of France, in Italy, in Spain, or even in Cornwall or Scotland,” she added.
