Prue Leith may now be a household name thanks to The Great British Bake Off, but her rise to fame almost never happened. The 85-year-old celebrity chef, known for her flamboyant jewellery and sharp critiques, revealed that a nightmare early TV experience nearly pushed her to walk away from the small screen forever.
In the 1970s, Leith made her television debut on a housewife-oriented programme for Tyne Tees Television. But without any prior presenting experience, she struggled. “I was very bad at it and didn’t enjoy it at all,” she recalled. “It was a horrific experience – I think the show just died.” The failure left her so discouraged that she declined nearly all further TV offers for years.
Instead, Leith focused on her culinary empire – opening a Michelin-starred restaurant in Notting Hill, founding Leiths School of Food and Wine, and publishing dozens of cookbooks, novels, and a memoir. But everything changed after the death of her beloved husband, Rayne Kruger, in 2002. The loss spurred her to step back into the spotlight, this time on Great British Menu, where she remained for 11 years before making her biggest move yet – replacing Mary Berry on Bake Off in 2017.
Her role on the show made her a national treasure – and an international star. In 2022, she joined Paul Hollywood as a judge on The Great American Baking Show, prompting fans in the U.S. to stop her in the street asking, “Aren’t you that lady from the baking show?”
Despite her packed schedule, Prue recently stepped down from the celebrity version of Bake Off, citing a need for rest and time with her second husband, 77-year-old fashion designer John Playfair. “I’m 85, and I want to travel and be with him,” she told The Travel Diaries podcast. “My agent almost thinks I need a carer now.”
Leith also credits her husband for her bold fashion choices. “Most women over 50 think they have to wear grey – I think we need colour. John always says, ‘Bigger earrings, more colour.’”
Offscreen, Prue has never shied away from honesty. In her 2013 memoir Relish, she spoke openly about her 13-year affair with Rayne, who was then married to her mother’s best friend. Despite the scandal, the two eventually married and adopted daughter Li-Da from Cambodia, while also raising son Danny Kruger, now an MP.
With decades of success and stories behind her, Leith’s journey proves that a career setback doesn’t have to define you – sometimes it’s the comeback that counts most.
