The woman who once had the internet convinced she was about to say “it’s serving c*nt” at 84 is officially leaving the tent. Dame Prue Leith, the colorful judge who made millions of viewers deeply invested in soggy bottoms and underproved bread, has announced she’s stepping away from The Great British Bake Off.
Leith, who will turn 86 next month, shared the news on Wednesday, January 21 with an Instagram carousel featuring snaps alongside fellow judge Paul Hollywood and hosts Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond. “After nine series and judging more than 400 challenges, I have decided to step down as a judge on The Great British Bake Off,” she wrote, calling her time on the show “a fabulous part of my life.”
The Michelin star chef went on to say she’s loved every minute of it — and everyone she worked with — but that the timing finally feels right. “I’m 86 for goodness sake!” Leith added, explaining that she’s ready to slow things down and reclaim her summers, particularly the kind that don’t involve filming schedules and end instead in her garden. Whoever steps into the role next, she noted, will “love it as much as I have.”
For now, that successor remains a mystery. Channel 4 confirmed that no announcement has been made about who will replace Leith on the judging panel. Hollywood, 59, is expected to stay put, and the show will continue to be hosted by Fielding and Hammond.
While some fans have floated the idea that Caroline Waldegrave — who previously filled in for Leith on the Stand Up To Cancer celebrity spin-off — could make the jump to the main series, the network hasn’t confirmed any casting plans.
Although this marks a major shake-up for the iconic series, die-hard fans who've been paying attention probably aren't totally blindsided. Leith has been dropping hints about her exit for nearly a year.
Back in February 2025, she told The Mail On Sunday that she was already considering stepping away. "I'm doing this year's Bake Off, and I don't know if this will be my last," she said at the time. "I've got to stop some time, so I might stop next year." She admitted she was starting to feel her age, noting that "things like getting out of a chair takes me longer than it used to" and that she wanted to leave before producers asked her to.
Leith first joined Bake Off in 2017 when the show made its controversial move from the BBC to Channel 4, stepping in to replace the legendary Mary Berry. In the years since, she's become just as beloved — famous for her "worth the calories" catchphrase, her accidental 2017 Twitter spoiler, and that viral TikTok where she called Hollywood the "G.O.A.T. no cap."
At 86, she's proving that legends know exactly when to take their final bow.