Prue Leith reveals she was called ‘the posh b**ch’ by disgruntled Bake Off fans after replacing Mary Berry – and admits ‘funny and natural’ husband John Playfair could upstage her on new show
These days it’s hard to imagine The Great British Bake Off without the composed presence of Prue Leith, but the presenter admits her introduction to the show was far less assured.
The South African TV personality was called up to replace the much-loved Mary Berry in 2017, when the show moved from its original BBC home to Channel 4.
Already unsettled by the transition, fans were equally unfazed by a subsequent reshuffle that saw original judge Berry part ways with the show and original hosting team Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc replaced by Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig.
Enter Prue; She’s already self-conscious about her thick accent, but admits its unintentional aloofness hasn’t resonated with a group of loyal Bake Off viewers, at least on this side of the Atlantic.
She said The times: ‘Oh, I hate my voice. It’s too chic. When I replaced Mary Berry in Bake Off, someone on Twitter said, “Oh no, not that posh bitch,” and I kind of agreed with her. But yes, the Americans seem to like it.’
These days it’s hard to imagine The Great British Bake Off without the composed presence of Prue Leith, but the presenter admits her introduction to the show was far less assured.
The South African TV personality was called up to replace the much-loved Mary Berry in 2017, when the show moved from its original BBC home to Channel 4.
The connection with baking specialist Berry extends to her own husband, fashion designer John Playfair, 77, who often uses it to his advantage while commenting on his wife’s cooking.
“I’m not going to bake cakes because we’re both too fat, so he taunts me, ‘I wish I married Mary Berry,'” she said.
Fans will be seeing a lot more from Playfair in the coming weeks, with the couple preparing to launch new show Prue Leith’s Cotswold Kitchen, which they are co-presenting from their lavish rural home.
But Prue admits she already has reservations about the on-screen dynamic after discovering her husband is a natural in front of the camera.
“I wonder if I made a wise choice by presenting with him,” she said. ‘John is so funny and natural in front of the camera. I think he’ll be the star of the show.’
The Bake Off star, who was married to South African author Rayne Kruger for almost 30 years before his death in 2002, recently admitted she fled from her first meeting with Playfair during a dinner party.
Prue told how she accompanied a friend to the meeting, but when she arrived there were only two men and two women present, leaving her feeling like a gooseberry.
The TV personality said she made excuses to leave her friend’s dinner as quickly as possible and didn’t expect what would happen next.
Pure prepares to launch new show Prue Leith’s Cotswold Kitchen, hosted with her husband John Playfair (pictured) from their opulent rural home
The Bake Off star recently told Loose Women she fled her first meeting with Playfair, who she married in 2016, during a dinner party
Prue revealed that Playfair turned up on her doorstep the next day and admitted he immediately ‘knew she was the one’.
She told Loose Women: ‘I came back from Yorkshire and she said I had to go to this dinner so I went with her and there were two boys and two girls there with champagne…
“It was an obvious setup and he was there and it was obvious what it was, I just wanted to get away. And the next day John showed up on my doorstep.’
Prue, who married Playfair in 2016, also said her husband is the inspiration for some of her standout outfits.
She said: ‘I ask John for advice and he always says no, it’s not enough bigger earrings or more colour.
‘He (John) pushes me further. It’s great because most women turning 50 feel like they have to wear gray and I think you need color.”