Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith considers 'quitting' after 8 years

Prue Leith has admitted that the next series of The Great British Bake Off could be her last. The 85-year-old has been a judge on the Channel 4 show since 2017, when it moved over from BBC One.

Speaking exclusively to Mail On Sunday, the television chef is contemplating stepping away from the programme, confessing that she "might stop next year."

"I'm doing this year's Bake Off, and I don't know if this will be my last. I've got to stop sometime, so I might stop next year," she explained.

"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. None of these things worried me two years ago – I could run upstairs – and so I'm very keen to leave Bake Off before I'm asked to leave."

Express Online have contacted Channel 4 for comment.

The news comes after Channel 4 reportedly held 'crisis talks' after Bake Off host Noel Fielding pulled out of his Apple TV Plus show mid-filming. The comedian and Alison Hammond will return to film The Great British Bake Off this spring.

The 51-year-old unexpectedly left production whilst filming the second series for The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin. According to reports, Noel 'had no choice' due to his health, and the streamer later axed the show.

A spokesperson for Noel confirmed that there was no discussion of him leaving The Great British Bake Off. He joined the hit show in 2017 when it moved from the BBC to Channel 4.

In similar news, Prue has defended Bake Off after responding to claims that the Channel 4 baking show has become "woke."

The TV chef revealed how the programme selects applicants for the upcoming baking competition, saying it's "not about the colour of their skin or anything".

Speaking to the Daily Mail, she said: "The process at the beginning is just who's the best. We want to know what they know about baking and will they be able to stand up to the pressures.

"It's not about the colour of their skin or anything."

She continued: "It's woke in the sense we care about reflecting society. We would not put somebody in the tent who wasn't capable of winning."