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Wales Online
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
GBBO's Prue Leith's 'horrific' experience 'put her off TV' for years
GBBO's Prue Leith's 'horrific' experience 'put her off TV' for years Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith has admitted there was one particular experience that put her off working in television for years before she changed her mind Prue Leith has said one experience put her off TV work for years Prue Leith has confessed that a past experience deterred her from pursuing a career in television for many years. Despite being a household name today, there was a period when Great British Bake Off judge Prue, 85, shied away from TV work following a unpleasant stint. Speaking to Candis, she revealed that her time presenting a show for Tyne Tees, aimed at women at home, left her with no desire to return to full-time television work, except for occasional appearances, reports Bristol Live. Prue elaborated: "I had hated television ever since my horrific appearance at Tyne Tees. I was presenting an afternoon show aimed at women at home. "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 it died a death. That experience put me off so I didn't do any more telly for years. I was occasionally asked to do the odd thing and chose not to accept." Article continues below "I limited my TV appearances to a couple of guest appearances in documentaries during the 1980s on topics that interested me." Prue Leith is now a staple of cooking TV However, Prue's perspective on television work reportedly shifted in the early 2000s following the death of her husband Rayne. In the wake of this personal tragedy, she joined the presenting team on the Great British Menu, a role which Prue admitted she "loved" and remained in for over a decade. Reflecting on her television resurgence, Prue has expressed surprise at her popularity across the pond. She shared: "I've been visiting New York and LA in the last two years to do my own show. "If I walked through Chelsea in New York, I'm stopped all the time because they get a double dose of the series, both US and the UK original versions. I get asked if I am that lady from the baking show." Prue has been a mainstay on Bake Off since 2017, but it was recently announced that she would not be participating in the celebrity edition of the programme, choosing instead to spend more time with her husband John Playfair, whom she married in 2016, and discussing how travel has changed for her. Article continues below Prue Leith and John Playfair Speaking on The Travel Diaries podcast, Prue said: "I haven't got much longer. I'm 85 and I want to spend as much time as I can with him. "If we are filming abroad, or like next week, we're going to New York, because I've got to publicise the American baking show, then I'm now old enough for my agent to say 'I'm sorry, but she has to ring her husband, because she's 85, she needs someone to carry the bags'."
Edinburgh Live
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Prue Leith's husband shares home life insight after star confesses 'I haven't got much longer'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Dame Prue Leith's husband, John Playfair, has given a touching update on their domestic life after the broadcaster confessed she "hasn't got much time left". Prue, 85, met fashion designer John Playfair at a friend's home while journeying back home from Yorkshire. Prue was invited into a dinner party for a drink, and was met with two men, including John, as well as her friend's sister. The Great British Bake Off star told Loose Women she "felt like a gooseberry" and decided to make her exit. However, John showed up at her house the following day, having experienced an "instant attraction" to the TV personality, reports Wales Online. Prue and second husband John married in 2016. Speaking to the TV Times, John shared an insight into their marriage, he said: "We laugh all day long. "Prue is divinely naughty and very funny. We go everywhere together. She's wonderful company." (Image: Dave Benett,for The National Portrait Gallery) One activity the pair relish doing together is gardening. Although John concedes they have had to modify their garden to accommodate their advancing years. He further stated: "Because of our age, Prue and I plant everything in troughs or buckets so we're not having to bend and tend to things at ground level." Prue has also previously confessed she's "not able to do everything" she would prefer when out in the garden. This came after she recently invested in a new potting shed and greenhouse to populate with plants from her native South Africa. Speaking to the Telegraph, Prue said: "I like propagating because my back hurts and I can do it on a high stool. I'm not as hands-on as I'd like because I'm no longer able to be. I find it vaguely surprising I can't do certain things any longer." (Image: Channel 4/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon) The beloved octogenarian and Bake Off star, who joined the show in 2017, shared on The Travel Diaries podcast with Holly Rubenstein her poignant thoughts about aging: "I haven't got much longer, I'm 85, I want to spend as much time as I can with him." Prue now says she likes to travel with John for work. She has even enlisted her husband as an "assistant" when travelling. She said: "And so, if we are filming abroad, or like next week, we're going to New York, because I've got to publicise the American baking show, then I'm now old enough for my agent to say 'I'm sorry, but she has to ring her husband, because she's 85, she needs someone to carry the bags' she doesn't quite say 'she needs a carer' but it's pretty close." The TV star will return to screens with Prue Leith's Cotswold Kitchen at 11.40am today (April 26) on ITV One. She will be joined by comedian Ruby Wax cooking a warm salad with beef as well as a tofu version.
Wales Online
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Prue Leith's husband shares home life update as she confesses 'I haven't got much longer'
Prue Leith's husband shares home life update as she confesses 'I haven't got much longer' Great British Bake Off's Dame Prue Leith recently admitted she 'can't do everything' she would like to do as she opened up about how she likes to spend time with husband John Playfair Prue Leith's husband has shared an insight into their home life (Image: Dave Benett,for The National Portrait Gallery ) Dame Prue Leith's husband John Playfair shared a heartfelt home life update after the broadcaster admitted she 'hasn't got much time left'. Prue, 85, met fashion designer John Playfair at a friend's house when she was travelling back home from Yorkshire. She says she was invited in for a drink and was met with two men, including John, and her friend's sister. The Great British Bake Off star told Loose Women she 'felt like a gooseberry' and decided to make her exit. John however turned up at her house the next day, having felt an 'instant attraction' to the TV star. Article continues below Prue and second husband John married in 2016. Speaking to the TV Times, John shared an insight into their marriage, he said: 'We laugh all day long. 'Prue is divinely naughty and very funny. We go everywhere together. She's wonderful company.' Author Prue Leith with her husband John Playfair (Image: Getty Images ) One thing the couple do enjoy doing together is gardening. Although John admits they have had to adapt their garden to their advancing years. He added: 'Because of our age, Prue and I plant everything in troughs or buckets so we're not having to bend and tend to things at ground level.' Prue has also previously admitted she's 'not able to do everything' she would like when out in the garden. It came after she recently invested in a new potting shed and greenhouse to fill with plants from her native South Africa. Speaking to the Telegraph, Prue said: 'I like propagating because my back hurts and I can do it on a high stool. I'm not as hands-on as I'd like because I'm no longer able to be. I find it vaguely surprising I can't do certain things any longer.' Octogenarian Prue, who joined Bake Off in 2017, recently explained she feared she is nearing the end of her life. It has left her with the desire to spend more time with John. Prue is a judge on Channel 4's The Great British Bake Off (Image: Channel 4/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon ) Article continues below Speaking on The Travel Diaries podcast with Holly Rubenstein, Prue said: "I haven't got much longer, I'm 85, I want to spend as much time as I can with him." Prue now says she likes to travel with John for work. She added: "And so, if we are filming abroad, or like next week, we're going to New York, because I've got to publicise the American baking show, then I'm now old enough for my agent to say 'I'm sorry, but she has to ring her husband, because she's 85, she needs someone to carry the bags' she doesn't quite say 'she needs a carer' but it's pretty close.' The TV star will return to screens with Prue Leith's Cotswold Kitchen at 11.40am today (April 26) on ITV One. She will be joined by comedian Ruby Wax cooking a warm salad with beef as well as a tofu version.
The Independent
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Prue Leith shares five-word admission on health as she opens up about marriage
Dame Prue Leith spoke candidly about her age as she opened up about her marriage in a new podcast interview. The Great British Bake Off judge, 85, told Holly Rubenstein on The Travel Diaries how she wants to spend more time with her husband, John Playfair, as she gets older. Dame Prue has taken a break from the celebrity version of the baking competition to focus on the regular series. "If we are filming abroad... I'm now old enough for my agent to say 'I'm sorry, but she has to ring her husband, because she's 85, she needs someone to carry the bags," the restaurateur added.
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The Independent
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Dame Prue Leith says she ‘hasn't got much longer' to spend with her husband
Dame Prue Leith has said she 'does not have much longer' as she is in her mid-eighties. Last year, The Great British Bake Off judge announced that she was taking a break from the celebrity edition of the show after realising that the filming schedule had become too intense. In March, Leith also revealed that she was struggling to hear and that she has started to use hearing aids. Speaking to Holly Rubenstein on The Travel Diaries podcast, the 85-year-old restaurateur said: 'I haven't got much longer. I'm 85 and I want to spend as much time as I can with him.' She was speaking about her husband John Playfair, whom she married in 2016. 'So, if we are filming abroad, or like next week, we're going to New York, because I've got to publicise the American baking show, then I'm now old enough for my agent to say 'I'm sorry, but she has to ring her husband, because she's 85, she needs someone to carry the bags,'' said Leith. 'She doesn't quite say, 'She needs a carer' but it's pretty close.' Leith has been part of The Great British Bake Off since its move from BBC to Channel 4 in 2017, replacing the expert role formerly held by Mary Berry. Announcing her hiatus from the celebrity series in September last year, Leith told The Mirror: 'I was in a new house and I hardly saw the garden, I hardly saw my family and I never had a summer holiday.' In order to stop Leith from quitting, Bake Off producers agreed to change the star's filming schedule so she could have more time off. 'So, I got what I wanted, which is to do less,' she said. 'I'm so grateful to Love Productions because they've been very accommodating.' It was announced that Leith would not take part in a future celebrity edition of the programme, raising money for cancer charities. In a comment made to The Independent, the judge said: 'I absolutely love working on Bake Off and am looking forward to filming the next series and meeting our new bakers. 'I am only stepping back from the Celebrity series, which is just a question of the filming commitment involved as we make these shows back-to-back.' Leith firmly shut down rumours that she was quitting the series, stating: 'It's absolutely not true at all! What I'm not doing this year is the celebrity one. 'I absolutely love working on Bake Off and am looking forward to filming the next series and meeting our new bakers.' 'I am only stepping back from the celebrity series, which is just a question of the filming commitment involved as we make these shows back-to-back,' she said.
