Bake Off: Paul Hollywood says runners have to be taught how to make tea as co-star Prue Leith is ‘precious’ about her cuppa

Paul Hollywood claims Prue Leith has let Bake Off go to her head, and she is “precious” about the way her tea is made.

The breadmaster is currently on tour promoting his new book “Bake” - while on stage at the Kaufmann Concert Hall in New York.

“Prue is so precious about her tea on Bake Off,” Paul said.

“We take the runners to show them how to make tea.

“You can’t squeeze the bag against the tea cup as she knows. She is a dame now, so you can’t do that to her.”

Prue Leith received her Damehood in May 2021 for services to food, broadcasting and charity.

She has been part of The Great British Bake Off since 2017, having replaced Mary Berry when the show moved from the BBC to Channel 4.

The 88-year-old recently spoke out about cancel culture and said she has stopped using the phrase “is it worth the calories?” because it was receiving negative feedback online.

Prue told Mail Online: “Well I‘ve had to stop doing it because everyone gets so upset and actually I think it’s all too ridiculous. But I think the world will stop being silly.”

Paul now has seven books under his name including How to Bake, Bread, Pies and Puds, British Baking, A Baker’s Life, A Weekend Baker and Bake.

Paul Hollywood

Celebrity Chef

Paul is most famous for being a judge on The Great British Bake Off - he has been a part of the show since 2010.

Before his TV fame, Paul learnt to bake from his father John.F Hollywood, who owned a bakery chain called BreadWinner.

Paul became head baker at a number of hotels including The Dorchester, Cliveden Hotel and Chester Grosvenor and Spa.

• Paul John Hollywood was born on 1 March 1966, in Wallasey, Cheshire 
• He was the son of the head of the BreadWinner empire John. F Hollywood 
• Paul is known for being the harsh judge on popular baking shoe The Great British Bake Off 
• As well as hosting the TV show he has released seven books during his career 
• Great Breads won the Top Bread and Pastry Book at The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in 2005
• Paul is known for creating the most expensive loaf of bread in Britain back in 2008 - it has been named the Rolls-Royce of loaves 
• The baker delved into the world of car racing in 2015 - he made his debut in the Beechdean AMR Aston Martin Vantage GT4 
• Paul met his wife Alexandra Hollywood in Cyprus when he was working as a baker abroad 
• He has a reported £11.5million 

Paul told Love Food: “My dad always smelled of bread when he came in, always covered in flour.

“That was then attached to me for many years. It became part of my DNA.”

Connections

Prue Leith

Prue is Paul’s co-host on The Great British Bake Off - she joined the show in 2017 - replacing Mary Berry.

Prue is 82-years-old and known for wearing colourful clothing on the baking show.

Mary Berry

Mary was a judge on The Great British Bake Off for seven years alongside Paul.

Mary is 87-years-old and has written over 70 cookbooks in her lifetime.

Noel Fielding

Noel became a co-presenter of The Great British Bake Off in 2017 when the show moved to Channel 4.

He is best known for The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe and his dark sense of humour.

Alexandra Hollywood

Paul was married to Alexandra from 1998 to 2019.

He met her in Cyprus when he was working in luxury hotels as a baker.

They split after Paul had an affair with Marcela Valladoid.

Marcela Valladolid

Marcela was a colleague of Paul’s on the TV show American Baking Competition.

But their relationship turned romantic in 2013 and they had an affair.

Summer Monteys-Fullam

Paul and Summer had a two year romance after meeting back in 2017, but they did not last.

Summer is 26-years-old making the age gap between her and Paul 30 years.