Prue Leith Opens Up About Husband's Tragic Health Battle and Family's Role
Dame Prue Leith, the former Great British Bake Off judge, has candidly shared the heartbreaking details of her first husband Rayne Kruger's health ordeal and subsequent death. In emotional interviews, she revealed how her children "held her together" during the difficult period following his passing in 2002.
A Complex Love Story and Family Foundation
Prue Leith first met Rayne Kruger as a family friend when she was young, with their relationship evolving into a 13-year affair before they eventually married. Kruger, who began his career as a writer before transitioning to property development, was initially married to Nan Munro, who was two decades his senior.
The couple made the decision to confess their love to Munro after Prue decided she wanted to have a baby. They tied the knot in 1974, just days before the birth of their son Danny Kruger, who now serves as a Reform UK MP. The pair also adopted a daughter together, Li-Da Kruger.
Prue acknowledged that she "always knew" she would outlive Rayne due to their significant age gap of twenty years. He passed away at age 82 from emphysema, while Prue was in her mid-sixties.
The Stressful Final Years and Health Struggles
Speaking on Katherine Ryan's What's My Age Again podcast, Prue detailed the immense stress of Rayne's final years as his health deteriorated from emphysema. "He had been sick for a long time so the two years before he died were stressful," she explained.
Prue described how Rayne insisted she continue working despite his declining health, which created constant anxiety. "I would sometimes get on a train and worry so much that I would get off at the next station and come back again because I was worried about him," she recalled.
The situation became increasingly dire as Rayne's breathing difficulties worsened. "Occasionally I would come home and he would have collapsed because he couldn't breathe properly," Prue shared. She noted that his condition served as "a walking lesson on not smoking" since he essentially "smoked himself to death."
The most harrowing aspect involved numerous emergency hospital visits. "I can't tell you the amount of times I followed an ambulance to hospital because he couldn't breathe," Prue revealed, emphasizing that "that wasn't good" for either of them.
Family Support Through Grief and Loss
Following Rayne's death, Prue found crucial support from her children Danny and Li-Da. "I had my family around me and they were wonderful," she said. "Your family really step up when something terrible happens and they both came home and stayed with me for weeks after he died."
Reflecting on their collective strength, Prue added: "They held me together really, or maybe we held each other."
Fond Memories and Second Chance at Happiness
On Davina McCall's Begin Again podcast, Prue shared her deep affection for Rayne, describing how she "absolutely adored him." She recalled their relationship beginning when she was 21, noting that Rayne served as "like a godfather, a surrogate father and the rest of it" following her own father's death.
Prue, who married her second husband John Playfair in 2016, expressed gratitude for her romantic fortune. "Most people don't get one happy marriage and I've had two really happy marriages," she said. "I'm still having the second one, so as long as he sticks around."
Professional Life Continues
Despite announcing her departure from Bake Off earlier this year, Prue Leith remains active in television. She will appear as a guest judge on Greatest Gardens with Diarmuid Gavin and Carol Klein, airing on BBC Two. The upcoming episode features visits to Northern Ireland's finest gardens, including Fernhill Garden in Co Down with over 4,000 plants, a suburban garden in Jordanstown, Antrim, and a six-acre farmhouse plot near Crumlin.
