Prue Leith 収容する／認めるs she almost didn't 適用する to 取って代わる Mary Berry on the 広大な／多数の／重要な British Bake Off as she 恐れるd she wouldn't tick the Channel 4 show's '多様制 boxes'

By Chikamso Chukwuenyem For Mailonline

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Dame?Prue Leith has 認める that she almost didn't 適用する to 取って代わる Mary Berry on the 広大な／多数の／重要な British Bake Off?as she 恐れるd she wouldn't tick the '多様制 boxes'.

The restaurateur, 84, has been a 裁判官 on the cooking 競争 since she 取って代わるd Mary Berry 2016.

However, this very nearly wasn't the 事例／患者 as Prue 明らかにする／漏らすs she 最初 完全に 解任するd the idea.

It was 明らかにする／漏らすd that the women had known each other since the 1970s when a photo of them with 放送者 Jack de Manio (1914-1988) was 明らかにするd.

Prue told the 事情に応じて変わる Doors podcast with Jennie Becker: 'I just jumped at it. I had begun to think about it, once I knew Mary Berry was not going to go on. I thought: "Oh, I’d l ove that 職業", but I 解任するd the thought.

Dame Prue Leith, 84, has admitted that she almost didn't apply to replace Mary Berry, 89, on the Great British Bake Off as she feared she wouldn't tick the 'diversity boxes' (pictured: Prue and co-judge Paul Hollywood, 58, on Bake Off)

Dame Prue Leith, 84, has 認める that she almost didn't 適用する to 取って代わる Mary Berry, 89, on the 広大な／多数の／重要な British Bake Off as she 恐れるd she wouldn't tick the '多様制 boxes' (pictured: Prue and co-裁判官 Paul Hollywood, 58, on Bake Off)

The restaurateur has been a judge on the cooking competition since she replaced Mary Berry 2016 (both pictured in 2017)

The restaurateur has been a 裁判官 on the cooking 競争 since she 取って代わるd Mary Berry 2016 (both pictured in 2017)

Prue (centre) and Mary (left) have known each other since at least the 1970s (pictured with broadcaster Jack de Manio [1914-1988])

Prue (centre) and Mary (left) have known each other since at least the 1970s (pictured with 放送者 Jack de Manio [1914-1988])

'I thought: "They’ll get someone younger, someone more . . . probably a young Asian chef or something, that would tick all the 多様制 boxes and stuff’. But no, they chose me."?

'If you think about my past career, I’d had 11 years sitting at the 広大な／多数の／重要な British Menu as a 裁判官 and every plate has about ten tastes on it - it makes Bake Off look really simple.

'With cake, with one spoonful, you can get the icing, the filling and the crumb. I knew all the 最高の，を越す chefs, I had a Michelin restaurant of my own so I knew that level of cooking very 井戸／弁護士席.'?

The 関係 to baking specialist Maty 延長するs to Prue's own husband, fashion designer John Playfair, 77, who frequently uses it to his advantage while commenting on his wife's cooking.?

'I won’t bake cakes since we are both too fat, so he taunts me with, "I wish I’d married Mary Berry,"' she said.?

At the time of Prue's arrival, fans, already disgruntled by the move from BBC to Channel 4 and the loss of Mary,?告訴する Perkins, and Mel Giedroyc, did not warm to her.

Prue told?The Times?in February: 'Oh, I hate my 発言する／表明する. It’s too posh. When I 取って代わるd Mary Berry on Bake Off?someone on Twitter?said: "Oh no, not that posh b**ch", and I sort of agreed with her. But yes, Americans seem to like it.'?

Outside of cooking, Prue is （ドイツなどの）首相／（大学の）学長 of Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, and her son, Danny Kruger, is a 保守的な MP.

The 事情に応じて変わる Doors podcast with Jennie Becker is 利用できる to listen to here.

The 広大な／多数の／重要な British Bake Off returns with its fifteenth series in September 2024 with Prue, her co-裁判官 Paul Hollywood, and presenters Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond all returning.

The Great British Bake Off returns with its fifteenth series in September 2024 with Prue, her co-judge Paul, and presenters Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond all returning

The 広大な／多数の／重要な British Bake Off returns with its fifteenth series in September 2024 with Prue, her co-裁判官 Paul, and presenters Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond all returning

Mary Berry広大な／多数の／重要な British Bake OffChannel 4