Prue Leith has stepped down from The Great British Bake Off after nine years, revealing that health concerns played a major role in her decision. The 86-year-old first announced her departure from the Channel 4 show in January and has been replaced by TV chef Nigella Lawson.
Health concerns behind Bake Off exit
Leith said she wanted to step back while she still had the energy to enjoy her garden and travel with her family. However, she later admitted that her health was a key factor, telling The Shift podcast: "I think the thing I found worrying is that I’m not very steady on my pins any more, not as good as I were."
In 2025, the cookery writer told the Loose Women panel: "Age stinks, come on, it takes me 10 minutes to get myself out of bed in the morning. If I don't do my exercises, I can't move."
She also made a candid admission about ageing, telling the ITV stars: "There are all sorts of things that are wrong with old age, you're very conscious that this is nearly the end. You then decide that you're going to make the most of it and have fun."
Hearing aids and husband's concerns
In her mid-80s, Leith shared that she had begun using hearing aids due to problems with her hearing. During a discussion about her husband, John Playfair, on The Travel Diaries podcast, she said: "I haven’t got much longer. I’m 85, and I want to spend as much time as I can with him."
Just days ago, the businesswoman was rushed to hospital over a suspected stroke. Leith revealed that she was temporarily unable to speak, which led Playfair to believe she was experiencing a stroke.
Migraine attack and hospital visit
In a health update, the television personality confirmed she had suffered a migraine attack during which her vision significantly deteriorated. Despite recognising the symptoms as those of a migraine and informing her husband accordingly, he remained deeply concerned and called for an ambulance.
On Friday, August 14, Leith took to Instagram and wrote: "For those that have messaged me, I wrote a piece for @theoldiemagazine about my trip to the hospital a couple of months ago. I was fine shortly after, and I am very much alive and kicking now!"
In the column for The Oldie magazine, she wrote: "A few weeks ago, staying in Yorkshire, I had a migraine attack. It followed a familiar path. First, I can see only half of whatever I'm looking at. This is speedily followed by a bright circle of flickering, coloured lights in the upper right field of vision. I don't swiftly swallow one of my migraine 'bombs' (three pills: paracetamol, ibuprofen and sumatriptan), a crashing headache will follow."
She added: "This time, my incomprehensible jumble of disconnected words convinced John I was having a stroke. I tried to tell him it was just a migraine, but I couldn't string two words together."
Leith was later discharged from Harrogate hospital after a six-hour wait and said that on this occasion, it was better "safe than sorry."
