Bake Off's Prue Leith admits struggle judging show and says 'I'll have to go at some point'

Dame Prue Leith has been a judge on The Great British Bake Off since 2017, and while she doesn't plan to retire just yet, she knows she'll have to step down one day

Dame Prue Leith has revealed that her schedule for Great British Bake Off has been "slimmed down".

The 84-year-old star, who has been a judge on the popular Channel 4 baking show alongside Paul Hollywood since 2017, shared that the producers have made adjustments to accommodate her as she ages. While she doesn't plan to step down immediately, she acknowledges it's inevitable. Speaking to Best magazine, she said: "I'll have to go at some point."

She further explained: "This year has been easier, because they've slimmed down my schedule; I was finding it hard to manage everything, so I've dropped the celebrity version and that's made such a difference."

She added: "So I won't leave in a hurry, but I will leave some time because I'm getting ancient."

Despite not planning to retire soon, Dame Prue admitted she has come to appreciate an afternoon nap to help her through long days. When asked about retirement plans, she responded: "Not yet. One of the things I learned in lockdown is how good a siesta is." She continued: "Now I say to everybody, 'Can you build it into my schedule please?' It helps."

Bake Off, hosted by Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding, was filmed over the summer, and Dame Prue confessed she has "forgotten most of it" now that it's airing. Although she often believes she can predict the winner early on, she usually ends up being incorrect.

She confessed: "I always think I know, and I'm always wrong! Bake Off is a very difficult competition, because you can do three weeks in a row where you get Star Baker and then you have a really bad week and you're out."

In the latest episode, fans watched on as a contestant walked away in tears following a bake that went horribly wrong. John was left in tears after his Showstopper went wrong and he ended up storming out of the tent before being consoled by host Alison.

John, who has been wowing viewers and judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith over the past few weeks, had a tough time during bread week. Achieving a Hollywood handshake during bread week - Paul's speciality - is notoriously difficult, but things took a turn for the worse for John during his Showstopper bake.

He struggled as his bagels didn't rise to the surface as expected. It left him overcome with emotion and he abruptly left the tent. Host Alison was later seen going to comfort him. Alison tried to lift his spirits by sharing a similar story from her time on Strictly Come Dancing when she knew she'd be leaving, but her dance partner reassured her by saying 'don't worry, the other person could fall over'.

The Great British Bake Off broadcasts every Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4.

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