logo
Bake Off star Mary Berry tells crowd 'I'm deaf' as she shares touching plea

Bake Off star Mary Berry tells crowd 'I'm deaf' as she shares touching plea

Wales Online04-05-2025

Bake Off star Mary Berry tells crowd 'I'm deaf' as she shares touching plea
The well-known chef, Dame Mary Berry, best known for her role on The Great British Bake Off, issued the plea while accepting an award at the Fortnum and Mason Food and Drink Awards
Dame Mary Berry reportedly had an issue with a crowd
(Image: BBC )
Dame Mary Berry has made a heartfelt appeal, revealing to an audience that she's "deaf" during an awards ceremony.
The incident took place at the recent Fortnum and Mason Food and Drink Awards, where the former Bake Off star was honoured with a special award. However, she reportedly struggled with the noise from the "raucous" crowd.

The beloved chef, who recently celebrated her 90th birthday and is currently working on a new BBC show, took to the stage at The Royal Exchange in London and asked the audience to lower their voices, emphasising the significance of the event.

According to the Mail, Mary said: "Please do keep it very, very quiet. It's such an important occasion, and you must hear every single person that comes up here. I'm deaf and there are maybe one or two others that also find it difficult to hear everything."
The much-loved chef asked the crowd to keep the noise down
(Image: PA )
In previous discussions about her health, the TV icon described herself as "lucky" to have had a mild infection when she contracted polio at the age of 13, before a vaccine was developed.
Article continues below
Despite this, Mary, whose condition mainly affected one side of her body, continues to experience damage in one hand, which people often mistake for arthritis.
She even spent three months behind a glass screen (separating the future chef from her parents) in a bid to prevent infection. Speaking to the Radio Times, she revealed how it impacted her work.
Mary, who also has a twisted spine, said: "Everybody thinks I've got arthritis. I look a bit funny when I'm rolling pastry, but I have no other difficulties whatsoever."

In 2021, the esteemed food writer experienced a fall in her garden that resulted in a broken hip, but she bounced back with the help of surgery and credits playing croquet for aiding her joint recovery.
Mary, who recently turned 90, is currently working on a new show
(Image: Getty Images )
Despite these challenges, Mary shows no signs of slowing down. Her new show is eagerly anticipated to hit our screens later this year, promising to be a "tribute to the Mary's joy of cooking".

The upcoming programme is expected to be produced by Sidney Street, the same company responsible for Foolproof Dinners, and will feature some of Mary's fondest memories and, naturally, her beloved recipes.
With a television career spanning five decades and over 12 million cookbooks sold, Mary Berry remains a fixture in British homes. Her latest six-part series, which will coincide with a cookbook release, is scheduled for broadcast this autumn.
A source shared their enthusiasm: "Mary is a national treasure so what better way to celebrate her than a new series. It'll be a tribute to the Mary's joy of cooking and sharing good food."
Article continues below
Representatives for Dame Mary Berry have been approached for further comments.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Richard Wilson's fantastic King Lear is proof that the BBC should be doing more Shakespeare
Richard Wilson's fantastic King Lear is proof that the BBC should be doing more Shakespeare

Telegraph

time11 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Richard Wilson's fantastic King Lear is proof that the BBC should be doing more Shakespeare

According to the actor Jonathan Pryce, you should play Lear while your back can still handle it. Pryce played the octogenarian king when he was a mere 65, and still put his back out staggering onstage with Cordelia in his arms. Drama on 4: King Lear (Radio 4, Sunday) gave us a satisfying reminder that radio drama can reach the places other mediums can't, as the 89-year-old Richard Wilson took on the role – becoming the oldest British actor to do so in the process. When he staggers on with Cordelia in Sunday's concluding part, Wilson's back will be safe. Clive Brill's production, while relatively no-frills, is a treat, as well as being a potential blueprint for BBC radio drama. Wilson is the eye-catching name at the top of the bill, but the undercard isn't too shabby either – Toby Jones as Gloucester, David Tennant as Edmund, Greta Scacchi as Goneril, Tamsin Greig as Regan. Renowned cellist Steven Isserlis adds interstitial howls from his bow, which begin a little overbearing but grow in stature as the play increases in intensity. Among the less starry cast, Trevor Fox's Geordie Fool stands out. However, it is Wilson that this production will be judged on. His Lear is a slow-burn, beginning, as he vaingloriously beseeches his daughters to shower him with sycophancy in return for a share of the kingdom, in a stubbornly low gear. It is a little jarring at first, with Lear sounding mildly peeved rather than furious at Cordelia's refusal to play ball. 'Come not between a dragon and his wrath,' he says, sounding more like a sleepy guard dog lazing in the sun. While it's sensible not to start Lear at too high a pitch – he has some serious emotional mountains to climb later – I was, in those very early scenes, left wanting a bit more p--s and vinegar from Wilson. His stolid, pompous statesman act felt like it was going to be overshadowed by Tennant's duplicitous bastard (in every sense of the word) Edmund. Tennant gave the listener a fairground ride of an opening soliloquy ('Why brand they us / With base? with baseness? bastardy? base, base?') and his slippery chameleon act was matched by an emotionally raw performance from Jones, who reacted to Edgar's invented betrayal with the sort of passion previously missing from Wilson. Perhaps Wilson was to play an anchor role next to the pyrotechnics from his younger castmates. I was, like Lear, too quick to rush judgement and gradually Wilson's haughty, dismissive old king began to take a grip on proceedings. His Lear is a man who has grown used to hearing no dissent, to having his every whim catered to. When things do not go his way, he does not get angry (at first), because he does not need to – he'll still win. At the point Cordelia 'betrays' him, his reaction is not hot anger, but a surprised disappointment followed by a swift execution. He is vain, thin-skinned, completely in love with his own power, and unwilling to brook any kind of dissent or believe the cards will not fall for him. 'Fetch me a better answer,' he says when Regan and Goneril will not meet him. There is, yes, something very Trumpian about this Lear. If there's a sense that Wilson is saving something up for the more explosive events of this weekend's instalment, that's understandable, but it's tricky to truly give a verdict on his Lear before he has wandered the heath and delivered the most memorable lines ('Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks!', 'Howl, howl, howl, howl!', 'I don't believe it!' etc). Yet what a pleasure it is to hear him, age 89, delivering the words that presumably he'd long given up imagining he would. The production is also a salute to the power of the older actor – Matthew Marsh (Kent) is 70, Scacchi is 65, Jones and Greig are 58. Yet that cast is significant for another reason – put this production on in the West End, with the same actors, and you'd be paying more than £100 to sit behind a pillar or peer at them dimly from the upper circle. With theatre pricing becoming increasingly eye-watering, the BBC has a chance to remind everyone (ahead of charter renewal) of its essential place in British culture. With the Corporation's sway and reputation, they could put a star-name Shakespeare on once a month, or even once a week, increasing access beyond those who can justify the exorbitant West End fees. Not only can BBC radio drama save Wilson's back, it can save something that should be coursing through the nation's veins.

King ‘told Conclave author he watched papal selection film'
King ‘told Conclave author he watched papal selection film'

Rhyl Journal

time14 minutes ago

  • Rhyl Journal

King ‘told Conclave author he watched papal selection film'

Robert Harris, 68, was formally made a CBE by Charles for services to literature in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. Harris said it was 'eerie' and 'like an out of body experience' to see his 2016 book turned into a film, and then to see the papal selection process which he had researched in so much detail play out in May after the death of Pope Francis. '(It was) very odd, I suppose because I researched it very thoroughly, and really it's the sort of thing that can practically only be done in fiction because you have to have a lot of conjecture,' Harris told the PA news agency. 'And so it acted as a kind of primer for journalists and for people, so that was very strange. 'And then, of course, the extraordinary fact that the new pope watched it on the eve of the conclave.' Pope Leo's brother John Prevost told NBC News his younger sibling had watched the film before the secret vote. Harris said the King also asked about his new book. 'We talked a bit about Conclave, which he has seen,' Harris said. 'He's been reading my books for years, so it was nice to see him again.' The journalist-turned-novelist also joked about how seeing the inside of Buckingham Palace could provide him inspiration for his future books. 'There'd have to be some mystery in the throne room, yes, murder in the throne room! It's got possibilities.' Harris said it was a 'very generous gesture' to receive the honour and he had 'never thought about it' before being asked. Author Dame Jacqueline Wilson was made a Dame Grand Cross for her services to the same industry at the ceremony. The 79-year-old former children's laureate is widely known as the creator of Tracy Beaker and has written more than 100 novels. 'It feels like a dream,' Dame Jacqueline said on receiving the honour. 'I'm so pleased, so proud. 'I was just totally taken by surprise. To be utterly truthful, I didn't even know this particular honour existed. I'm so proud and so overwhelmed. 'If little girl Jacqueline could be told that I'd be standing outside Buckingham Palace with medals and a sash, she would have been astonished.' Dame Jacqueline said the King was 'jovial' and they laughed about getting her sash on over her 'silly hat'. 'And I did thank him, and particularly also thanked Her Majesty the Queen, because she takes such an interest in children's literature, and that makes all of us writers feel very pleased,' she said. Last year, Dame Jacqueline released her first adult novel since the 1970s as she returned to her beloved Girls series. The novel, Think Again, was nominated at this year's British Book Awards.

Sir Sadiq Khan and King ‘compared who is a bigger workaholic'
Sir Sadiq Khan and King ‘compared who is a bigger workaholic'

Rhyl Journal

time14 minutes ago

  • Rhyl Journal

Sir Sadiq Khan and King ‘compared who is a bigger workaholic'

Sir Sadiq, the first London mayor to win a third term, was knighted by Charles in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Speaking to the PA news agency, the 54-year-old said: 'I have got the pleasure of working closely with the King. 'We were just comparing who's a bigger workaholic. 'He was very chuffed that he managed to personally give me this honour and he actually apologised for it taking so long – which is not a problem at all.' Sir Sadiq, a second-generation immigrant, said: 'My mum's here, and she's been emotional since it was announced on January 1, and today's just a great day for the family. 'Obviously, from my background, being the son of immigrants, my parents coming here from Pakistan, it's a big deal for us.' Asked what he is proudest of in his time as the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq said free school meals for primary school children, 'cleaning the air and investing in affordable housing'. 'What I'm really proud of is the chance to work with Londoners, like His Majesty.' Sir Loyd Grossman, who was knighted at the same ceremony, said London is 'the greatest city in the world'. The 74-year-old broadcaster and author, known widely for his range of cooking sauces, was awarded a knighthood for services to heritage, having led the transition of The Royal Parks, as chairman, from a government agency through to its establishment as an independent charity. Born in Massachusetts in the US, Sir Loyd came to England in his mid-20s. 'I've always felt that our heritage is so important to us, because not only is it beautiful, it's also inspiring,' Sir Loyd said. 'It helps us realise what it's like to be citizens together. 'It's one of the things that we do better in this country than anywhere in the world. 'People all over the world, when you ask them about London: what is it that's so great about London – which is the greatest city in the world – almost always they say your parks.' He said The Royal Parks were a lifeline for Londoners in lockdown, but that he 'couldn't possibly say' which is his favourite. 'The first one I ever went to, when I came here as a student, was Kensington Gardens, so I have a particularly strong affinity for Kensington Gardens but I just love all of them.' Dame Emily Thornberry, who has been Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury since 2005, was formally made a dame at Buckingham Palace. The chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, 64, said she does not usually get nervous but was 'fizzy with nerves' after receiving the honour. Dame Emily, who was honoured for political and public service, wore brooches belonging to her mother and grandmother in her hat at the ceremony. 'My grandmother used to work for Lloyds Bank and she wasn't allowed to work after she got married. If she knew that I'd become a dame, she wouldn't believe it,' the former shadow foreign secretary said. 'Neither would my mum.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store