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Prue Leith exits The Great British Bake Off after 9 seasons as judge
Global Desk | January 22, 2026 7:19 PM CST

Synopsis

Prue Leith is leaving The Great British Bake Off after nine seasons as a judge. She shared the news on Instagram and said she loved being part of the show. Fans, judges, and the official Bake Off team praised her work. Leith says she now wants to enjoy life and spend time relaxing at home.

Prue Leith has announced she is leaving The Great British Bake Off after nine seasons. She shared the news on Instagram on Wednesday, saying she has decided to step down as a judge, according to Prue Leith’s Instagram post. Leith said she judged more than 400 baking challenges during her time on the show. She called Bake Off “a fabulous part” of her life and said she truly loved working on the show, according to her post.

Leith said she will miss working with fellow judge Paul Hollywood and hosts Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding, as cited by New York Post. She also thanked the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4 for their support, according to her Instagram post. Prue Leith joined the show in Season 8 as a judge. She replaced original judge Mary Berry when she joined the series.

Prue Leith Bake Off journey

During her time, she worked closely with Paul Hollywood, who is now 59 years old. Noel Fielding continued as a host while Alison Hammond joined the show as a host in 2023. Leith’s exit comes after the end of Season 16 of The Great British Bake Off, according to the reports. She said it feels like “the right time” to leave the show, according to her Instagram caption.


Prue Leith exit reaction

Leith added a humorous reason for stepping down, saying, “I’m 86 for goodness sake!” The chef and novelist said she feels “lucky” to have been part of the show. She also said whoever replaces her will love the job just as much as she did. Paul Hollywood reacted to her announcement with a heart and crying emoji, according to comments on her post, as mentioned by New York Post. The show’s official Instagram account shared a tribute praising her joyful judging and memorable moments.

The post said Leith will be deeply missed and thanked her for nine brilliant years in the Bake Off tent. Paul Hollywood said in a comment on the post that he had a Lot of fun working with her and that she was magnificent. He said he would like to see her soon and being with her was fun for him . Talking about her future plans, Leith said she wants to spend her summers enjoying her garden, as noted by New York Post.

FAQs

Q1. Why is Prue Leith leaving The Great British Bake Off?

Prue Leith is leaving because she feels it is the right time at age 86 after many years on the show.

Q2. How long was Prue Leith a judge on Bake Off?

Prue Leith was a judge on The Great British Bake Off for nine seasons.


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