Prue Leith is set to replace Mary Berry as a judge on ‘The Great British Bake Off’, according to reports.
The 76-year-old restaurateur and writer is no stranger to judging on cookery shows, as she already appears on the BBC’s ‘The Great British Menu’.
She will now reportedly join Paul Hollywood on ‘Bake Off’ when it debuts in its new home on Channel 4 later this year.
A source told The Sun: “In cookery circles, she’s practically royalty”.
‘Bake Off’ bosses believe Prue is a ‘like-for-like’ replacement’ for Mary Berry because of their similar ages and backgrounds.
The source added: “Both are from similar backgrounds, so hopefully viewers will be accepting and give Prue a chance to win them over.
South African Prue and Mary go way back, and have often appeared on TV together.
As well as running Michelin-starred restaurants and writing about food, she also founded the Leith’s School of Food and Wine. She was awarded an OBE in 1989, and a CBE in 2010.
Prue initially ruled herself out of replacing Mary as a judge on ‘Bake Off’, telling the Telegraph last year that she had no intention of joining the show following the break-up of the original team.
“I couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about, really,” she said. “I was more concerned about Brangelina.”
The last ever series of ‘Bake Off’ on the BBC saw 14.8 million of us tune in to see Candice Brown crowned queen of the tent.
Meanwhile, the BBC is planning to launch a rival to ‘Bake Off’ after all, despite reports claiming that they wouldn’t be doing so.
A BBC insider revealed: “Launching their own version of the show has long been rumoured since Channel 4 swooped in on ‘Bake Off’.
A spokesman for Channel 4 said they would be announcing the new ‘Bake Off’ line-up in “due course.”