I had to tell Prue to STOP TALKING SO MUCH!

Great British Bake Off judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith talk to woman&home about their friendship and what happens when they disagree

- CHRISTINE SMITH

Can you believe it’s been over three years since Prue Leith replaced Mary Berry as Paul Hollywood’s co-judge on The Great British Bake Off? But, Prue has very much made the role her own, and now we can’t imagine the show without her.

The hit series is back for its tenth year, airing from 25 May on BBC Lifestyle, DStv channel 174. It will see Paul, 54, and Prue, 80, put a batch of bakers through their paces, alongside hosts Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding. But the hopefuls needn’t be too scared, because although Paul may seem as icy as his blue eyes on screen, Prue insists he’s a big softie. “He is always giving the bakers hugs,” she says. “And words of encouragement.” Now that’s a side of Paul we want to see...

Paul I first met Prue when she came to the audition to replace Mary Berry as a judge on Bake Off. She walked in looking very colourful, and within 30 seconds of chatting, I knew I liked her. I felt comfortable and we talked about everything, from the show and Mary to how we judged. She laughed a lot and I just kept thinking “this is chilled”.

Prue What I like about Paul is that he is so honest. He’s also determined the bakers understand where they’ve gone wrong, which is why he will be critical, but he’ll then give a big explanation about how they can improve.