Dame Mary Berry has revealed the real reason she stopped watching The Great British Bake Off after leaving the show in 2016. The 90-year-old former judge, who appeared on the debut series in 2010 alongside Paul Hollywood, said it is not fair on her 93-year-old husband, Paul J.M. Hunnings, to watch a cooking programme in the evening after a day spent testing recipes.
Speaking to the Daily Star, Mary explained: "I don't think it's fair on my husband. We're testing recipes all the time, thinking what's going in the next book. It's not fair in the evening to turn on a cooking show as he's seen quite enough of it."
Mary, who left the BBC series in 2016 a year before it moved to Channel 4, was replaced by Dame Prue Leith. Prue announced her departure earlier this year and has been succeeded by food writer Nigella Lawson for the 2026 series, expected to air in September.
Mary said she is "absolutely delighted" that Nigella will be joining the show. "It will give Bake Off a wonderful new flavour, and Paul and her will get on like a house on fire," she said at the Radio Times Covers Party 2026. She advised Nigella: "The skill to be the judge and to be fair, be kind and encourage everyone to enjoy baking."
Prue Leith also praised Nigella, calling her "a class act" and "a fantastically clever woman". Nigella herself said she will focus on the eating rather than technical judging, telling This Morning: "I feel that I'm not someone who looks for fault. I look for pleasure as a basic."
