Marathons & meringues WENDY TAKES THE CAKE

The Bake Off queen has fans from as far away as Scotland waiting to see her rise

- Rebekah Hebenton

Most contestants on The Great Kiwi Bake Off can’t wait for the day they fi nally get to share the news they are competing on the country’s favourite baking show. But Wendy Banks, who is competing in the current season, would have happily kept the secret to herself.

“I was hoping that people might miss that I’ve been on the show and not watch it,” Wendy laughs. “Most of my family are in Scotland, so they are all just beside themselves because The Great British Bake Off is massive. I’ve had people from high school saying, ‘Oh, we need to find out how to watch.’”

Though she doesn’t love the attention, Wendy wishes she knew how much support she had going into the competition.

“I really wish I could have told them before because it’s such a confidence booster that they all believe in me. But it’s a bit late now,” she quips.

The mother-of-three’s love of baking came later in life and was brought on by wanting to create marvellous birthday cakes for her sons Brodie, 15, Coen, 12, and Hudson, 10. Since then, her passion has grown and her kids are regularly treated to homemade treats in their lunchboxes, but Wendy’s not sure they understand just how lucky they are.