'Bin men ask me for a HANDSHAKE on the street!'

As The Great British Bake Off returns, judge Paul Hollywood opens up about dealing with the fame the cookery show has brought him

- CHRISTINE SMITH

The nation’s beloved show will be back on C4 this month, and The Great British Bake Off’s Paul Hollywood has revealed he regularly gets berated by fans for sending their favourite contestant home. Still, the tough-talking judge tells Woman he is feeling emotional ahead of the latest broadcasts. The professional baker, who lives in Kent with new girlfriend Melissa Spalding, also says the new series will bring plenty of twists and turns when it returns to our screens next week.

Describing Bake Off’s iconic white tent as a ‘real tonic’, Paul, 56, tells Woman, ‘The standard this year is very good, but there will be some shock decisions. And it gets bad when [the viewers] say, “Why did you let this person go when that chocolate dish was good?” And I’m like, you haven’t tasted it, felt it or smelt it! You saw pictures and you made your decision on that one sense. We had other senses we were using as well! You’ve got to trust us.’

Explaining why he’ll scold bakers if they mess up, he adds, ‘Where people fall flat on their face is the decoration of the cake. They either rush it, try and put things on when the cake is warm or they don’t finish it to a professional level. Or they overcook it.’