Bake Off stars learned sign language for show's first ever deaf baker
Tasha has been baking all her life.
Tasha is The Great British Bake Off's first ever deaf contestant, who plans to whip up some truly delightful baked goods and hopefully win over the judges when the show returns on Tuesday 26th September.
With a deaf contestant joining the show, the Bake Off judges took it upon themselves to learn sign language in order to communicate with her.
The 27-year-old is a participation officer from Bristol who grew up making cakes for her friends before being encouraged to take baking up as a hobby.
Speaking to Radio Times magazine, judge Prue Leith revealed she and Paul Hollywood learned how to sign, to help Tasha.
"She had a signer, so we all learnt a bit of sign language," Leith said. "Paul was terrific and he learnt a lot. I just about managed to learn how to say 'good luck' and 'well done'."
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Tasha applied for Bake Off at the last minute after her manager began badgering her to apply.
Ahead of her appearance on the show, she told Channel 4: "My manager urged me to apply and was the one who basically made sure I got the application in (by badgering me on WhatsApp after every application advert at the end of the season 13 episodes)!
"When I had the Zoom call to tell me I was one of the 12, I cried! Daryl (my BSL interpreter) also cried! We were a mess."
She continued: "I didn't say anything that made sense because I was so unprepared to be told that - I never thought that it would be me going to the tent!
"I also went on holiday with seven friends the day after finding out and could only tell one of them, so I was absolutely bursting with the secret all week!"
One moment that has stayed with Tasha across her Bake Off experience is when Noel Fielding introduced Alison Hammond and Tasha's BSL interpreter, Daryl, as part of the line-up.
She said: "Seeing Daryl up at the front and feeling fully part of the show was a really special moment. I couldn't have done it without him and without the dedication from the show ensuring I had the same access as the other bakers."
The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale from Tuesday 19th September.
The Great British Bake Off is available to watch or stream from 8pm on Tuesday 26th September on Channel 4.
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