While most recognised for her role as a judge alongside Paul Hollywood onThe Great British Bake Off, where the pair help decide who will become the next Bake Off winner.
Prue and Paul certainly had their work cut out for them as they returned to the tent – with hosts Matt Lucasand Noel Fielding – to judge the Class of 2022. The standard of the bakers – aged 18 to 60 and including a music teacher, an engineer and a nuclear scientist – is incredible. “The challenges have got harder because we need something that sorts the sheep from the goats,"says Prue.
The introduction of new challenges also means new themes including Halloween Week, Mexican Week and Custard Week. "Custard Week was wonderful, my belief is there's nothing wrong with a slightly awful-looking cake that a bowl of custard wouldn't fix. Who doesn't like custard?"
You may also recognise Prue Leith from BBC Two's The Great British Menu. The female TV chef, food critic and campaigner has a whole host of fantastic strings to her bow, including television presenter, journalist, author, and restaurant owner. But surely this makes people too scared to cook for her!
“People often say they are too scared, but I am the greediest person you ever met, so whatever they give me, I will love.
“A really smart dinner party I went to was a disaster. The woman was showing off because I was there. She must’ve been working for days with the result that she was really tired, quite bad-tempered and her husband wasn't speaking to her.
_“_If you don't enjoy it, get someone else to cook for you…”
At 82, does Prue think she inspires older women?
“When I did my series about gardening, Prue’s Great Garden Plot, I fell over. I don't want to be the sort of Pied Piper who leads ladies into the geriatric ward with broken limbs!
“What does please me is, I get a lot of people saying, ‘I wore colour when I was young, but I’m now too old. I’m too embarrassed. I’d never buy a yellow coat.’
“I say: ‘Why? A yellow coat cheers you up.’ If I'm encouraging older women to be brave about their dress, then good.”
How old is Prue Leith?
Prue was born on 18 February 1940, making her currently 81 years old.
Who is Prue Leith's husband?
Prue is married to John Playfair and recently moved in with him after four years. The Great British Bake Off star has admitted that the idea of living with her husband has never really felt right before now.
"John calls our new home our 'retirement home'. We have to face the fact that we're going to be living together for the very first time. It just really feels like the right time now," she shared.
Prue Leith's daughter
Prue has two children, Daniel Kreuger, son of Prue’s first husband writer and property developer Rayne Kruger who tragically passed away in 2002, and daughter Li-Da.
The couple adopted Li-Da at the age of one. Li-Da was a sickly baby, airlifted out of Phnom Penh shortly before the city fell to the genocidal Khmer Rouge. Prue recently shared the story of trying to find her daughter’s birth parents on Channel 4 in a documentary called Journey with my daughter, in which they travel to Cambodia to explore Li-Da’s roots and heritage.
Where to buy Prue Leith's glasses
Wondering where you can buy Prue's colourful glasses and funky necklaces? Here's everything you need to know.
Prue Leith's net worth
According to networthlist.org, Prue is estimated to be worth £85 million. Wowzers!