Prue Leith has revealed her "biggest regret" about neglecting friendships, a decision she says left her feeling "bloody lonely" after the death of her first husband. The 86-year-old former Great British Bake Off judge opened up in a candid reflection on life, friendship, and her reasons for leaving the show earlier this year after nearly a decade.
A Lifetime of Neglected Friendships
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Prue admitted: "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 as "one of the only regrets" throughout her long and accomplished life. The issue became particularly pronounced following the death of her first husband, property developer Rayne Kruger, in 2002, when she found herself extremely isolated.
Finding Love and a New Circle
Prue came to realise she had neither close friends nor any connection with her neighbours, something she later openly "regretted". She has since found love again, having met her second husband, John Playfair, in 2010, reports the Express.
The celebrated cook revealed that John is "very good at friendship," and has brought a circle of friends into their Cotswold home.
Why She Left Bake Off
This follows Prue's recent revelation that another reason behind her Bake Off departure was a feeling that she was "running out of time" to savour the summer months, which is precisely when much of the Channel 4 programme is filmed.
She told Woman Magazine: "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 revealed that, while she "really loved" her time on the programme, she felt she was "running out of time" to savour the summer months. She also admitted that she believes she has done her fair share of Bake Off.
New Travel Show and Summer Adventures
The former Bake Off judge made the most of her extended break this summer, spending a month travelling through Poland, Latvia and Estonia with her husband, before renting a house in Biarritz, France, for a further month with the whole family.
Prue is set to grace our screens once more with a brand new travel programme, Prue & Sandi's South African Adventure. The series follows her exploring her homeland of South Africa alongside former Bake Off colleague Sandi Toksvig, and is due to air on Channel 4 later this month.
