Prue Leith reveals the real reason why she quit The Great British Bake Off

Prue Leith has revealed she quit The Great British Bake Off because she was worried about falling over on set.

The restaurateur and cookery writer announced that she was stepping down from the show back in January, citing her age of 86 and a desire to pursue other ventures, including gardening.

But speaking recently on The Shift podcast, Leith revealed that she quit as a presenter on the show because she’s “not very stead” on her “pins” anymore.

She explained that it was while filming in a field for the series that she began to worry she was going to lose her balance and "humiliate" herself.

"We weren't judging cake – they wanted us to dance round this field. And it was a very hummocky, uneven, field, which of course Noel could really leap over brilliantly and Paul perfectly good," she said.

She continued: "But I suddenly realised 'I'm going to go A over T, you know, this is going to be humiliating beyond belief'. So I said 'I don't want to do it', and they understood – they were fine."

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She added: "And that was the first time I had to say 'I can't do that'. Gradually there had been more and more of those things."

Speaking of the 25 year age gap between her and judge Paul Hollywood, she added: "Ever since I've been on Bake Off, Paul has always teased me because I'm so much older than him."

She continued: "He'd say things like 'Come along deary, upsy daisy', 'time for your nap' or 'time for your tea', or something or other. This is a running joke... but of late I've thought 'Actually, you're right mate'.

"If I had stayed on Bake Off, I'd have asked for a ramp to get into my Winnebago. Paul's teasing would have become absolutely true, so he would have probably stopped doing it."

Leith joined the series in 2017 when the baking show moved from the BBC to Channel 4.

Following her announcement that she’d be departing from the show, it was revealed that Nigella Lawson would be stepping into her shoes and joining hosts Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding.

The world-renowned chef and TV icon said in a statement that “it’s daunting to be following in the footsteps of Prue Leith and Mary Berry before her, great dames both” but that she is “bubbling with excitement” to be joining the series.

The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 later this year.

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