Danielle's confession 'I CAN'T EAT MY OWN FOOD!'

The coeliac baker can only hope for the best when she plates up for the TV judges

- Catherine Milford

Very few coeliacs would decide to create gluten-filled cakes, biscuits and delicious baked goods for fun – and then do it all in the pressure cooker environment of a reality baking show. But that’s just how Danielle Windfuhr rolls.

“Anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m the type of person who’ll put my hand up if anyone needs a volunteer,” says the 39-yearold senior executive assistant and practice manager. “I’ll give anything a go! I’ve always loved baking and The Great Kiwi Bake Off looked like fun, so I applied. I didn’t really expect to get in.”

Danielle is quick to emphasise that although she has been diagnosed with the autoimmune disease, she can be around gluten more than many coeliacs, who can suffer bowel and intestinal damage if they ingest even a tiny bit.

“I loved eating pizza and pasta – I didn’t have any of the normal symptoms,” explains Danielle, who taught herself to bake through trial and error – and YouTube. “There was nothing to suggest I was coeliac.

“I was diagnosed through a blood test suggested by my GP about five years ago as a just-in-case thing. We didn’t expect it to come back positive. It did explain some of the symptoms I’ve been having for years though, like body aches and extreme tiredness, which I just thought were normal.”

Unlike the majority of coeliacs, Danielle’s reaction to gluten is mild enough for her to still be able to bake.