Hollywood reflects on his past ‘mistakes’ in candid chat about divorce

Paul Hollywood has reflected on his past ‘mistakes’ as he opens up candidly in a new podcast.

Speaking on That Gaby Roslin Podcast, the Great British Bake Off judge, 56, opened up about his divorce from ex-wife Alexandra in 2019.

The couple separated in November 2017, ending a 20-year marriage, after Alex claimed Paul had been an adulterer, a claim he denies.

Being in the public eye, he said on the podcast: ‘Yes, I’ve made mistakes in my life, who hasn’t. I went through a divorce, divorces are not good for either party.

Alex and Paul finalized their divorce in June 2019 and Paul dated Summer Monteys-Fullam, who was 24 at the time, whom he met while she was working as a waitress.

Paul and Alex’s marriage came close to ending in 2013, when it was revealed that he had been having an affair with his The American Baking Competition co-star Marcela, 42.

He told The Mirror in July of that year: ‘It’s my fault. I am very sad about what has happened. I feel very sad about that and what it brought to the family.’

However, Alex accepted it three months later for the sake of their now 18-year-old son, only for the couple to announce in November 2017 that things were officially coming to an end.

Announcing the end of their union, the couple said in a statement: “It is with sadness that we have decided to separate.

“Our focus continues to be the happiness of our son, and we would ask the press and the public to allow us privacy as a family during this very difficult time.”

That same year, Kent’s waitress Summer made headlines when she revealed that she had embarked on a romantic relationship with Paul.

Her revelation sparked outrage from Alex, who filed for divorce on the grounds of adultery soon after, with sources saying she believed he had been having an affair with Summer before their split.

Their romance drew a flurry of headlines when Paul showered Summer with countless lavish gifts and even bought a £1million house in Kent to share in February last year.

However, things fell apart in the summer, when Paul asked Summer to sign a confidentiality agreement drawn up by his lawyers, which she refused.

He also recently revealed that he is taking his former love to court for £4,000 for their two horse shelters, built at his £800,000 country house in Kent last year.

Summer claimed she was left with “no choice” but to take legal action against the Bake Off judge four months after they ended their two-year relationship.

She told MailOnline: “All I ever wanted was to get back what is rightfully mine, things I bought with my own savings…he is punishing my horses with his grudge.”

Paul is now in a relationship with pub owner Melissa Spalding, with the couple isolating themselves over the coronavirus lockdown at their £1million country house.