Shannon has become the second contestant to leave The Great British Bake Off this series, following an emotional exit during the show's first-ever Audience Week, which aired on Tuesday, October 6.
The competition saw 11 bakers remaining, hoping to impress judges Paul Hollywood and Nigella Lawson, alongside hosts Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding. However, it was Shannon who was sent home, with Paul explaining: "Shannon is such a lovely lady, but unfortunately, she was bottom in the technical, struggled in the signature, and in the showstopper, didn’t quite do enough. So overall, it’s not been her best week."
Shannon's emotional reaction
Shannon was left in tears and shared: "It’s so hard to put into words what this has meant to me. I’ve become myself, if anything, I’ve let go of any persona of who I wish I was, and I’ve really just been me. It’s life-changing, that is the word, I don’t want to say bye to anyone."
Speaking to The Sun, she said: "It was incredibly emotional. Deep down, I had a feeling it was coming. After the technical challenge, I just knew." She added, as reported by the Mirror: "I was gutted, especially because I’d originally planned to make lemon meringue pies or my chocolate fudge cake, and either of those might have saved me."
Behind the scenes details
She went on: "The lemons just weren’t ripe enough, and they gave my cake a strange aftertaste. I thought my showstopper might pull me back, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Then Alison announced it was me going home. I held it together, even though inside I wanted to scream and burst into tears. I wanted to stay strong for the bakers. Everyone was shocked. They all came over to hug me, and they sang the cup song, our little tradition whenever someone left the tent. It meant the world."
Shannon also appeared on spin-off show Second Helpings, telling hosts Jon Richardson and Judi Love that she "wasn’t ready to go" because she was having "too much fun". This wasn’t her first appearance on the programme, which has replaced Jo Brand and Tom Allen’s Extra Slice, as she first starred during this year’s first show, after having to leave the tent during the first week on medical advice.
Personal revelations
On that earlier appearance, she joked: "I’m back, don’t worry, I’m alive," after sparking concern. When Jon asked what was wrong, she replied: "Nothing you need to worry about," adding: "Something very minor, I had to have a little check-up, I was all-clear, it’s all good," and "I had a bit of a dicky tummy."
Shannon also revealed on her first Second Helpings appearance that she had just got married, celebrating two weeks since becoming a wife. She said: "The best thing was, I had nearly all the bakers at the wedding, and we had the best pudding table going."
The Great British Bake Off is available to watch on Channel 4 and continues Tuesdays at 8pm.
