What is The Great British Bake Off without its star judge, Prue Leith? Sadly, we just might find out. The celebrity chef and television personality has revealed devastating news: This year might be her last on the beloved series.
"I'm doing this year's Bake Off, and I don't know if this will be my last. I've got to stop some time, so I might stop next year," Leith told the Daily Mail last weekend. "I thought I'd just see how I go this year, because I definitely feel a bit older this year than I did last year."
"Things like, getting out of a chair takes me longer than it used to. I don't like big steps without a handrail," she added. "None of these things worried me two years ago—I could run upstairs."
Leith first joined the GBBO in 2017 after Dame Mary Berry made her own departure. She's remained an obvious fan-favorite throughout her run on the show and gushed over the experience in media interviews. So why exit at all—besides the promise of rest and retirement? "I'm very keen to leave Bake Off before I'm asked to leave," Leith said.
While she's hardly left us with much confidence, Prue did provide one glimmer of hope: "But, on the other hand, I really enjoy it," she said.
This wouldn’t be the first time Leith would be absent from our TV screens. Just last year, her longtime friend Caroline Waldegrave temporarily stepped into her role for Great British Celebrity Bake Off 2025, a celebrity special for cancer. That, too, was because Leith felt in need of a break.
"These things are filmed back-to-back all the way through summer from April to August so you don't get any time off," she told The Morning. "I’m getting quite old and there’s places I want to see. So I’m not doing this year’s."
No matter what decision she makes, here’s the good news: We have at least one season left to enjoy cheeky Prue cracks. The cast is set to start filming season 16 of The Great British Bake Off in April, and new episodes will begin premiering in September.
