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Prue Leith admits she almost didn't apply to replace Mary Berry on the Great British Bake Off as she feared she wouldn't tick the Channel 4 show's 'diversity boxes'


Dame Prue Leith, 84, has admitted that she almost didn't apply to replace Mary Berry on the Great British Bake Off as she feared she wouldn't tick the 'diversity boxes'.

'If you think about my past career, I’d had 11 years sitting at the Great British Menu as a judge and every plate has about ten tastes on it - it makes Bake Off look really simple. The connection to baking specialist Maty extends to Prue's own husband, fashion designer John Playfair, 77, who frequently uses it to his advantage while commenting on his wife's cooking. At the time of Prue's arrival, fans, already disgruntled by the move from BBC to Channel 4 and the loss of Mary, Sue Perkins, and Mel Giedroyc, did not warm to her.

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