Dame Prue Leith has admitted she is "glad" she left The Great British Bake Off, even though watching her replacement Nigella Lawson's first episode gave her a moment of doubt.
The 86-year-old TV star served as a judge on the Channel 4 competition series for almost a decade alongside Paul Hollywood, before announcing last year that she had decided to step down. Fellow chef Nigella Lawson took over her role.
While she greatly approves of her replacement, Prue explained that seeing the first episode of the new series being aired did trigger a pang of regret about her decision.
Feeling a 'Pang' Watching the New Series
Speaking to New! magazine, Prue said: "Bake Off is the best job in television. Paul and I are still great friends, always will be. Alison (Hammond) and Noel (Fielding), too."
She added: "I didn't give it up because I didn't like it – I loved it. And when I watched Nigella Lawson doing her first episode – and by the way, I think she's terrific at it – I did feel a pang. I thought, 'Why did I leave? That was such a great job.' But I'm glad I did."
When Prue announced her departure, she said in a statement that "now feels like the right time to step back", noting: "There's so much I'd like to do."
Why She Decided to Step Back
Elaborating on what drove her choice, Prue acknowledged she craved fresh challenges. "I always want to do new stuff, Bake Off was absolutely wonderful, and I loved it, and I love the people and all the rest of it," she told Katherine Ryan on her What's My Age podcast. "But it wasn't new; every year was exactly the same."
When the presenter noted that nine years was a substantial commitment to a single role, Prue considered her extensive broadcasting history. "I'm quite a sticker, nine years is quite a long time, but before that, I did The Great British Menu and I did that for 11 years," she shared. "So I am quite a stayer, and I did love Bake Off, and I could have gone on happily doing Bake Off because I was enjoying it, but, you know, in the end, it was shrinking horizons that forced me into it."
Prue also disclosed her desire to devote more quality time to her husband, John Playfair, and family after years of summer months consumed by recording schedules for the programme.
Enjoying a Freer Summer
Discussing her newly acquired free time, she revealed to Heat Magazine: "I'm having a fantastically good time. One of the reasons I gave up Bake Off was so that I could have more of a summer - and more holidays. I've already booked a week in France with all my grandchildren and their parents, so that'll be fun."
She continued: "I hope to have three weeks in Italy with John, driving down the coast of Puglia. John is a great believer in going away for three weeks, because he says you can't really see anything in less than that."
