The 'horrific' experience that almost derailed Bake Off legend Prue Leith's entire TV career - before major showbiz U-turn

Daily Mail​

4 hours ago

Prue Leith is one of the foremost celebrity chefs currently on our screens.
The Cordon Bleu-trained cook, 85, started out in catering, before opening a Michelin-starred restaurant in Notting Hill and a school for budding chefs.
She is also a prolific cookbook writer, columnist and author, publishing cookbooks, novels - and her 2013 tell-all memoir Relish.
All this while sustaining a near 60-year TV career, judging BBC 's Great British Menu, and, more famously, The Great British Bake Off, replacing Mary Berry when the show moved to Channel 4 in 2017.
But despite her now huge success, one major moment at the start of her career meant it all nearly did not happen.
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Her first foray into telly came in the seventies, presenting a show for housewives for Tyne Tees Television, the precursor to the ITV franchise for North East England.
But Prue said she had such a 'horrific' experience, it left her close to abandoning a career in TV altogether.
She told Candis Magazine: 'With no previous presenting experience, it would be fair to say I wasn't a natural.
'I was very bad at it and didn't enjoy it at all. I think [the show] died a death.'
The ordeal put her off entirely - and for years after this, she did virtually no TV work.
In fact, despite receiving offers to make further appearances, she turned most of them down in this period.
Instead, the cook chose to feature as a guest on a handful of documentaries in the eighties on topics that interested her.
But everything changed in the early noughties, when her beloved husband, South African author and property developer Rayne Kruger, died in 2002, aged 80.
The tragedy saw her join the panel on Great British Menu, which sees the country's best chefs compete for the chance to cook a course at a prestigious meal - for diners ranging from royals, to ambassadors, to veterans.
Prue adored being part of the programme - and stayed for 11 years, until her departure for Bake Off.
And now, not only do viewers love to watch the baker, along with her iconic funky jewellery, in Britain - she has won the hearts of audiences across the pond too.
As The Great British Bake Off has proved popular with stateside viewers, it got its own American spin-off, The Great American Baking Show, in 2015.
Prue's GBBO colleague Paul Hollywood had simultaneously been a part of the American iteration since 2017 - and she joined him in 2022.
With both the British and American versions of the series to enjoy in the USA, Prue now always gets stopped in the street when visiting the country: 'I get asked if I am that lady from the baking show.'
Her judging schedule is packed to the rafters - and it meant she stepped down from judging the celebrity version of the baking competition this year.
She was replaced by her friend Lady Caroline Waldegrave, the managing director of Leiths School Of Food And Wine - which Prue founded.
The celebrity chef (pictured with fellow judge Paul last month) has previously said it was simply to get a break from back-to-back filming
The celebrity chef has previously said it was simply to get a break from back-to-back filming - aged 85, she wants to travel, have days off and spend time with her husband.
She tied the knot with fashion designer John Playfair, 77, in 2016.
Speaking to journalist Holly Rubenstein on her podcast The Travel Diaries, Prue said: 'I haven't got much longer, I'm 85, I want to spend as much time as I can with him.'
The constant travelling to the US puts a strain on her: '[My agent] doesn't quite say, "She needs a carer", but it's pretty close.'
Praising John, she gushed: 'One of the wonderful things about him is that he is totally without ego, he doesn't feel threatened by the fact that I have a higher profile than he does.
'When I introduce him [to people], he always just says, "I'm the handbag carrier, I'm her chauffeur".'
Last year, Prue and John shared the details of the start of their relationship during a sweet joint appearance on Loose Women.
The chef revealed she bolted from their first meeting at a dinner party at a friend's house.
When she first arrived, there were only two men and two women there, including John, making it obvious it was a double date set-up - which she was put off by.
The TV personality said she made her excuses to leave as quickly as she could, never anticipating what would happen next.
Prue revealed the following day, John turned up on her doorstep - and he admitted during the Loose Women interview he instantly 'knew she was the one'.
The chef quipped: 'I paid him to say that.'
Prue also said her husband is the inspiration behind her eye-catching outfits: 'Colour is influenced by you...
'I ask for John's advice and he always says, "No, it's not enough - bigger earrings or more colour.
'He pushes me further. It's great because most women who hit 50 think they have to wear grey and I think you need colour.'
Prue has also previously spoken out about the 13-year affair she had with her late first husband Rayne.
She revealed their long marriage started as an affair, after she fell for her mother's best friend's husband.
The baker decided to speak out about the experience in her 2013 memoir.
She said on the White Wine Question Time podcast several years ago she had no desire to be 'discreet' about her personal life.
Prue told presenter, journalist Kate Thornton: 'If there are things in your life you're not exactly proud of, but they would be interesting to the reader, you should try to tackle them.
'I thought, "You know, to skip it, when Rayne was the most important person in my life... how could I not tell his whole story?" So I did.'
Prue, born in Cape Town, worked with Rayne while he was married to the late South African actress Nan Munro - Prue's mother's best friend.
'I never asked him to leave his wife because I was very happy,' she explained of their affair.
'I had none of the duties of life and all of the pleasures of somebody who loved me. I wasn't pressing for marriage.
'We did have 13 secret years and nobody ever guessed because we were discreet.
'But it was easier in a way because he was a family friend, chairman of my company, and he had helped me enormously and everyone knew we were great friends.'
Eventually Rayne left his wife, who was 17 years his senior, to start a life and a family with Prue.
They have a daughter, Li-Da Kruger, who they adopted from Cambodia. She is now a filmmaker.
They also share son Danny Kruger, now the Conservative MP for East Wiltshire.