John Whaite, the former Great British Bake Off winner and Strictly Come Dancing star, has announced the closure of his Lancashire bakery, Ruff Puff Bakehouse, following a car accident that left him hospitalised. The 36-year-old, who ran the business with his husband Paul Atkins at Cedar Farm in Ormskirk, described the decision as 'painful'.
In an Instagram post, Whaite explained that the pressures of running a bricks-and-mortar bakery had become overwhelming. 'Over the past six months, the pressure of running a bricks-and-mortar bakery has steadily intensified. The workload was relentless, the margins unforgiving, and the emotional toll heavier than we’d allowed ourselves to admit,' he wrote.
The decision came after Whaite was hit by a car, an incident he described as 'frightening'. He said it forced him to confront that he had been 'running on empty'. The couple will now focus on their Ruff Puff Brownies business, with plans to relaunch in the autumn after taking time to rest and recover.
Whaite previously shared details of the accident on Instagram, noting that he rolled up the bonnet of the car and damaged the windscreen before landing on the road. He credited his '16 stone of muscle' for saving him, as doctors told him.
Whaite rose to fame winning Bake Off in 2023 and later made history as part of Strictly's first same-sex couple with Johannes Radebe, finishing as runners-up. He married Paul Atkins in New York in 2024.
