Dame Prue Leith has made a frank admission about aging, revealing she feels she doesn’t have much time left and is now “pretty close” to needing a carer. The Great British Bake Off judge, 85, says she is no longer as energetic as she used to be and relies heavily on her beloved husband, John Playfair, 77, for daily support.
Speaking on The Travel Diaries podcast with Holly Rubenstein, Prue said: “I haven’t got much longer, I’m 85, I want to spend as much time as I can with him.”
The couple are still traveling together, and next week they’ll head to New York where Prue is promoting the American version of Bake Off. She joked: “My agent now says, ‘I’m sorry, she has to call her husband—she’s 85, she needs someone to carry the bags.’ She doesn’t quite say ‘she needs a carer,’ but it’s pretty close.”
Prue praised John for his humility and support, gushing: “One of the wonderful things about him is that he has no ego. He’s not threatened by the fact that I have a higher profile. When I introduce him, he always just says, ‘I’m the handbag carrier. I’m her chauffeur.’”
The couple met later in life and married in 2016. In a previous Loose Women interview, they recalled their first meeting—at a dinner party that Prue tried to leave early, only for John to show up on her doorstep the next day, convinced she was “the one.”
They shared how their relationship has brought joy and inspiration. Prue says John influences her colorful fashion sense, encouraging bigger earrings and bolder colors. “Most women over 50 think they need to wear grey. I think you need color.”
Prue also touched on her past, including a 13-year affair with her first husband, Rayne Kruger, who was originally married to her mother’s best friend, actress Nan Munro. The relationship eventually became a marriage, and they had two children. Prue has since spoken candidly about their beginnings in her memoir, saying she didn’t want to “gloss over” important parts of her life.
