Vernon Kay Reveals Mary Berry's True Colours as a Local 'Icon'
In a heartwarming birthday tribute, radio host Vernon Kay has shed light on the true character of baking legend Dame Mary Berry, describing her as an "icon" and revealing they are neighbours. The revelation came during Vernon's BBC Radio 2 show broadcast on Tuesday morning, coinciding with Mary's 91st birthday on March 24.
Neighbourly Encounters in the Village
Vernon Kay, who resides in a six-bedroom property in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire with his wife Tess Daly, shared that he occasionally spots Mary Berry "in the village." He remarked: "I see her every now and again in the village, Mary Berry. She's local to us, or we're local to her. Very, very sweet lady. Always good fun and an icon."
While Vernon didn't specify the exact village on air, past reports indicate Mary previously lived in Penn for over thirty years in a Grade II-listed property. More recently, since 2019, she is believed to have resided in Henley-on-Thames with her husband Paul J.M. Hunnings.
Geographical Proximity Between Neighbours
The geographical connection between these two celebrities remains strong despite Mary's potential relocation. Penn is merely a nine-minute drive from Beaconsfield, while Henley-on-Thames is slightly further at approximately twenty-eight minutes by car. This suggests Mary and Vernon continue to live within thirty miles of each other, maintaining their status as local neighbours.
During his radio show, Vernon played a clip from Mary's 1990s television series Mary Berry at Home, where she demonstrated preparing a Canterbury tart. The segment served as a fitting birthday tribute to the culinary icon.
Mary Berry's Unforgettable Airport Incident
Meanwhile, a humorous story about Mary's past encounter with law enforcement has resurfaced. She previously recounted this incident on The Graham Norton Show while chatting with Claudia Winkleman. Approximately twenty-five years ago, Mary was traveling to the United States for cookery demonstrations and meticulously prepared her ingredients in advance.
Mary explained her thorough preparation: "I also try to look ahead, so I thought I ought to have my recipes, all the ingredients, weighed out in case the plane is late, or in case the connections aren't right. I can go straight on stage to do my cookery demonstrations. So, I weighed out each recipe in little bags, and I had the flour and the sugar and everything grouped together."
Her organized approach unfortunately led to an unexpected confrontation at the airport. When security dogs detected her carefully packaged ingredients, Mary and her assistant Lucy Young were separated and placed in cells. Claudia Winkleman humorously noted Mary was in a cell with "a selection of packets containing white powder."
Police questioned Mary about whether she expected to "make money" from the substances, to which she innocently replied: "Oh, I do, and my fee has already been agreed," referring to her legitimate cooking demonstration fees rather than anything illicit. This anecdote perfectly illustrates Mary's dedication to perfection and her charmingly straightforward personality that Vernon Kay now celebrates as that of a local icon.
