Prue Leith quits Great British Bake Off

Dame Prue Leith has announced her decision to quit Great British Bake Off, saying it “feels like the right time to step back” from the Channel 4 show.

In a statement released on Wednesday (21 January), Leith 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 [Hollywood], 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.”

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“Whoever joins the team, I'm sure they'll love it as much as I have,” she added. “I feel very lucky to have been part of it.”

Channel 4 has said a new judge will be announced in due course.

Leith joined the programme after it moved from the BBC to Channel 4 in 2017, and faced the daunting task of replacing Paul Hollywood’s original judging partner, Dame Mary Berry.

Fortunately, the new judge soon found her groove in the famous Bake Off tent, winning over fans and critics with her kind-hearted critiques and statement looks. There was one blip, though: in her first year on the show, Leith hit headlines after accidentally revealing the winner hours before the finale aired.

A number of former Bake Off contestants have shared their sadness at her exit from the programme.

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Commenting underneath an Instagram post on the show’s official account, 2025 winner Jasmine Mitchell wrote: “We will really miss you so much. You are just wonderful and incredible.”

Dr Rahul Mandal, who triumphed in 2018, added: “We adored you, you are kind, passionate and above all inspiring. You challenged yourself in every step of your life, which inspired us. I always [tell] my daughter to be as bold and brave like you.”

Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding are the current Bake Off presenters, but Leith has also worked with Sandi Toksvig and Matt Lucas.

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In 2024, Leith revealed that she previously tried to quit the show after becoming fed up with “hardly seeing” her family and “never” having a summer holiday due to filming demands. The judge agreed to stay after the show’s production company changed the schedule so she could have more time off.

Channel 4 chief content officer Ian Katz said: “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 judgment but look forward to working with her on new projects.”