Dame Prue Leith has described her past neglect of friendships as a major life regret, saying it left her feeling lonely after the death of her first husband in 2002. The 86-year-old television personality, known for her long career as a chef, restaurateur, author and broadcaster, said she wished she had approached friendships differently.
A Regretted Attitude
Speaking candidly, the former Great British Bake Off judge admitted she had not always valued maintaining friendships. In an interview with the Daily Mail, she said: "I've been very bad at friendship. I never thought it was important. If someone had said, 'You don't have any friends,' I'd have said, 'What do we need friends for?' It didn't occur to me it was unwise."
She described this attitude as "one of the only regrets" of her life. The consequences became clear after her first husband, property developer Rayne Kruger, died in 2002. Prue said she had not built close friendships that could have supported her during that difficult period and did not even know her neighbours at the time.
Finding Happiness Again
She has since found happiness with her second husband, John Playfair, whom she met in 2010. Prue has previously praised John for being better at maintaining friendships and bringing people together at their home in the Cotswolds.
Her latest admission follows her departure from The Great British Bake Off after almost nine years as a judge. She joined the Channel 4 programme in 2017 following Mary Berry's exit, becoming a familiar face alongside Paul Hollywood.
Reasons for Leaving Bake Off
Speaking to Woman Magazine about her decision, Prue said she had begun thinking about how she wanted to spend her remaining years, particularly the summer months. She said: "You can't be 86 without thinking about death a bit. I realised that I would never have a summer holiday in Europe again. Two years ago, I told them I was going to leave and they asked why and I said because I want a holiday in the summer."
Prue is also preparing to return to television with a new travel series alongside her former Bake Off colleague Sandi Toksvig. Prue & Sandi's South African Adventure will see the pair explore Prue's native South Africa and is due to air on Channel 4 later this month.
Speaking about her exit at the time, she said: "Bake Off has been a fabulous part of my life for the last nine years, I have genuinely loved it and I’m sure I’ll miss working with my fellow judge Paul, Alison and Noel and the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4. But now feels like the right time to step back (I’m 86 for goodness sake!), there’s so much I’d like to do, not least spend summers enjoying my garden. Whoever joins the team, I’m sure they’ll love it as much as I have. I feel very lucky to have been part of it."
