Nigella Lawson has dismissed reports of a "feud" with Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood, answering the rumours with a two-word comment. Speaking to BBC Radio 2's Sarah Cox, the celebrity chef, 66, said the reports were "absolutely nonsense" before adding: "I don't know where that came from."
Chemistry Test Before Joining
Lawson joined the hit baking show after the departure of Prue Leith, and rumours immediately surfaced that she and Hollywood did not see eye to eye. Before she was officially offered the job, producers arranged a "chemistry test" between the pair, which went very well. "It was lucky that we did get on. Can you imagine if we didn't? I bet Paul would have said so!" she said.
Lawson told The Times that she expected there could just as easily be rumours of a romance between the pair as reports of a falling-out. "What will people say of us on the programme?" she said. "I feel that half will go, 'Oh, there's clearly something going on with them,' and the other half will say, 'Oh, clearly they don't like each other at all.' And I feel like that's fine."
Playful Teasing and Nicknames
After the "feud" stories began circulating, Lawson called Hollywood to reassure him that she hadn't been saying "horrible things" about him behind his back. He immediately understood. She admitted: "The thing is, I certainly tease him, but he's so wonderful to tease. He loves it."
Lawson has joked about Hollywood's piercing blue-eyed stare, suggesting that anyone speaking to him should actually be "twinkled to death". Speaking to The Guardian, she added: "He often acts bad cop and does that laser stare but he's always himself, which encourages other people to be themselves, too. We complement each other." She also revealed that Hollywood will occasionally pretend to "nod off" when she talks about food for too long.
Lawson has come up with a nickname for her fellow judge, revealing: "One of the many lovely things about Paul is that he's good at being teased. I called him 'Professor Precision', then he teased me back and suddenly it all relaxed. He's much more playful than he looks on camera."
Co-stars Weigh In
Co-host Noel Fielding has noted that Hollywood and Lawson have different tastes and can sometimes strongly disagree, something he believes makes for "quite exciting television". "But you know what, they sort of, she, they have slightly different tastes, don't they?" he said on the Dish from Waitrose podcast. "She likes very salty kind of savoury things. And he likes more sweet. He's got more of a sweet tooth."
Hollywood has been equally complimentary about Lawson's arrival on the show. Speaking to Woman magazine, he said: "Nigella has such a wonderful way with words; she's very good at explaining to people watching it what it tastes like. She was brilliant. Nigella fitted in beautifully; it was lovely working with her."
Dame Prue Leith, who left the show after nine years as a judge, said Lawson had initially seemed a little "nervous" but was more than capable of finding her feet without any advice from her. "I didn't have to give her any tips, but I did tell her to just enjoy it because she's so good. She was quite nervous," she said. "She's so well qualified and knows exactly what she's doing, and the audience love her. I saw her and Paul last week, and they're getting on well. She's nice, I'm glad it's her."
