Great British Bake Off star Prue Leith has revealed she is leaving the show after nine years as a judge.
The 85-year-old chef has been a staple part of the Channel 4 show for almost a decade alongside Paul Hollywood, after taking over from Mary Berry.
Since entering the tent in 2017 she has been joined by current hosts Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond, as well as previous presenters Sandi Toksvig and Matt Lucas who have both since departed the show.
In a statement, Prue said: ‘Bake Off has been a fabulous part of my life for the last nine years, I have genuinely loved it and I’m sure I’ll miss working with my fellow judge Paul, Alison and Noel and the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4.
‘But now feels like the right time to step back (I’m 86 for goodness sake!), there’s so much I’d like to do, not least spend summers enjoying my garden.
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‘Whoever joins the team, I’m sure they’ll love it as much as I have. I feel very lucky to have been part of it.’
Love Productions, the company behind the show, praised her ‘genuine expertise and encouragement of the bakers’ as well as her ‘ability to ‘drop innuendos that reduce the entire tent to tears of laughter’, in its message marking her departure.
‘Prue will always have a piece of Bake Off’s heart,’ it concluded.
Meanwhile, Channel 4’s Chief Content Officer, Ian Katz, added: ‘Prue Leith has been a joyous presence in the tent, pairing absolute culinary authority with great generosity and empathy for the bakers.
‘We are grateful for her passion, her wit, her ineffable style, and all the summers she spent in the tent. She leaves an indelible mark on the show and all its bakers.’
He added that he looks forward to working with her on ‘new projects’.
The official Great British Bake Off account said she was ‘simply the best and will be so missed’, thanking her for ‘nine brilliant years’.
Channel 4 has confirmed the next series of The Great British Bake Off will air on Channel 4 later this year and that a new judge will be announced in due course.
Prue’s decision to completely depart from Bake Off comes after she stepped back from the celebrity version.
At the start of 2025 it was confirmed she would be replaced by friend, Caroline Waldegrave OBE.
She said at the time: ‘It’s mainly because these things are filmed back-to-back the whole way through the summer.
‘You start in April, and you end in August and honestly, you get no time off. And so, I’m getting a bit old and there are places I want to go to and other things I want to do.’
Now she has decided to exit the show proper, former contestants and co-stars are sharing their well-wishes.
Noel shared his own heartfelt Instagram post featuring several images from their time on Bake Off.
He wrote: The world was on fire and no one could save me but Prue
‘I’d never dreamed that I’d meet somebody like Prue
‘And I’d never dreamed that I’d lose somebody like Prue. ( From Bake off )
Prue thank you for 10 glorious years on Bake Off. You are a force of nature and an inspiration to the world. A dazzle of colours and that wonderful smile.
‘I will never forget the laughs we had and all the times @shazs101 and I would sing Wicked Game to you in the make up chair replacing all the You’s with Prue’s ! Everyone would join in and your fave would light up. We will miss your energy and charisma in the tent x Noel x’
Alison wrote on her Instagram story: ‘We will miss you so much Prue’
Meanwhile, underneath Prue’s Instagram post, Paul commented a teary-eyed and heart emoji and, shared an Instagram photo of the two in fancy dress with the caption: ‘You’re the best Prue!’
Bake Off winner Rahul Mandal wrote: ‘We will miss you so much. It was a joy and privilege to be in the tent you. You are kind, funny, passionate and always inspired us. I want Deveshi to be like you, bold, brave and beautiful.’
Jessika, 2025 star, added: ‘Prue! We will miss you! It was an absolute joy to have met you and to have you try some of my bakes!!’
Contestant Jasmine wrote: ‘Awwwww, Prue you’re amazing and we will miss you so very much x’
Peter, the 2020 winner, shared: ‘Congratulations on so many great series, Prue! It was a complete privilege to be on the show with you as judge. Thank you.’
Fans are also sharing their devastation.
‘I wish the best for Prue but also I’m absolutely devastated, I still miss Mary Berry, now I have to miss Mary Berry AND Prue Leith? devastating all round,’ X user mmmiiinnn wrote.
‘It truly won’t be the same without Prue,’ EuroAdam added.
‘This is the worst news of 2026 so far I’m not happy !!!’ Sco77 lamented.
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