Dame Prue Leith has revealed she is considering leaving Great British Bake Off after the upcoming series.
The 85-year-old has been a judge on the beloved Channel 4 show since 2017, when she took over from Mary Berry.
However, Leith admitted she “definitely feels a bit older” and is “worried” about how she’ll cope with the filming schedule, which includes long hours of filming at Welford Park in Berkshire.
The author said she wants to quit the baking show before she is “asked to leave” by producers.
“I’m doing this year’s Bake Off, and I don’t know if this will be my last. I’ve got to stop some time, so I might stop next year,” she told The Mail On Sunday.
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“I thought I’d just see how I go this year, because I definitely feel a bit older this year than I did last year.”
Leith added: “Things like getting out of a chair takes me longer than it used to. I don’t like big steps without a handrail. None of these things worried me two years ago – I could run upstairs – and so I’m very keen to leave Bake Off before I’m asked to leave.”
The restaurateur will film for the 16 series of Bake Off in April, with production continuing until June. The new series will air in September.
Leith will be joined by fellow judge Paul Hollywood, 58, and presenters Alison Hammond, 50, and Noel Fielding, 51.
The cooking icon previously stepped back from all GBBO specials, with her longtime friend and fellow cookery expert Caroline Waldegrave filling in to take her place.
Leith denied she was quitting the show for good last year, clarifying that she was simply stepping away from the celebrity specials.
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“These things are filmed back-to-back all the way through summer from April to August so you don’t get any time off,” she explained on This Morning.
“I’m getting quite old and there’s places I want to see. So I’m not doing this year’s.”
In January, she praised her replacement on the celebrity spin-off, enthusing on Instagram: “Caroline is perfect! The kindest and most knowledgable teacher, the bakers will love her.”
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