Mary Berry told Prue Leith 'he doesn't need you' in honest response to Bake Off question
Great British Bake Off judge Dame Prue Leith has opened up about the advice she was given by her predecessor, Dame Mary Berry, after taking over from her on the show
Dame Prue Leith has revealed how she spoke to Dame Mary Berry shortly after taking a role on the Great British Bake Off
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Dame Prue Leith has shared an insightful tidbit about Dame Mary Berry's advice when she was set to take over from the baking legend on the Great British Bake Off.
Already a celebrated figure in the culinary scene and having made various TV appearances, Dame Mary became a familiar face on the BBC in 2010 with her co-host Paul Hollywood on The Great British Bake Off, providing critiques on the contestants' baking creations.
After a remarkable six-year stint on the show, Dame Mary chose to depart out of allegiance to the BBC when GBBO's move to Channel 4 was announced.
Dame Mary stepped down from her position on the Channel 4 in 2016
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The announcement soon followed that Dame Mary's successor would be none other than Dame Prue, with Paul continuing his role as judge.
Reflecting on this significant moment in her career during an interview on the Spooning with Mark Wogan podcast, Dame Prue reminisced about reaching out to Dame Mary for guidance ahead of stepping into her new role.
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Reflecting on her past interactions with the renowned baker, Dame Prue recalled: "I have known Mary for many, many years, we're not close friends but we do like each other.
Dame Prue revealed how she was eager to get a character reference of Paul Hollywood after taking a role on the show
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"When I got the job that she had given up on Bake Off, I rang her up to ask her whether Paul Hollywood was workable with, and I thought, she had worked with him for eight years by then, so I knew she would tell me the truth."
She recounted Dame Mary's sage advice about working with Paul: "She was very interesting, she said 'do you know what? He is so good and he is very good at his job and he knows baking backwards, he's a lovely guy and very friendly and easy to work with'."
Dame Prue also divulged what the cherished baker warned her about: "But, he knows so much and he's so knowledgeable, he doesn't need you at all. You have to just hold your own and push yourself in because he'll just do the show without you'."
Dame Prue recently stepped back from her role on the celebrity edition of the show
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Even though Dame Prue has been a part of the show since taking over from Dame Mary in 2017, avid GBBO followers might have noticed her absence in the celebrity special, where newsreader Kate Garraway triumphed as the champion.
Discussing why she opted out of the latest series, she cited the demanding schedule as a key reason: "These things are filmed back-to-back all the way through summer from April to August so you don't get any time off."
Continuing, she shared: "I'm getting quite old and there's places I want to see. So I'm not doing this year's."
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