Prue is mortified after she lets slip name of Bake Off winner
JUDGE Prue Leith said sorry to outraged Great British Bake Off fans yesterday after she accidentally revealed the winner of the final.
Prue, 77, admitted she felt “mortified” after she let slip on Twitter that Sophie Faldo had been crowned champion of the eighth series.
Prue was 5,000 miles away in the south Asian country of Bhutan when she tweeted: “No one told me judging a final would be so emotional. I wanted them all to win. Bravo Sophie.”
But she had become confused by the six-hour time difference with the UK and thought the programme had already been screened.
She admitted she had “****** up” with the blunder, which left fans furious that the suspense had been ruined. Some were so angry they vowed not to bother watching the final.
One said: “Prue Leith – what a joke. I thought I was safe on Twitter until later.”
And another said: “Are you joking? You are totally spoiling this for everyone.”
Prue replaced Mary Berry as a judge when the format switched from the BBC to Channel 4. The gaffe echoed a slip Mary made on radio in 2015, when she accidentally revealed which baker went out in the third round.
An upset-sounding Prue said: “I’m in Bhutan. The time difference is massive.
“I thought that they got it six hours ago. I’m in too much of a state to talk about it. I ****** up.”
In a tweet later she said: “I am so sorry to the fans of the show for my mistake. I am in a different time zone and mortified by my error.”
Despite the blunder millions of viewers still tuned in to see Prue and fellow judge Paul Hollywood crown Sophie the winner after 10 weeks of fierce competition.
She served up small breads, iced biscuits and a Showstopper Entremet – a bee-inspired, honey flavoured creation – to take the title ahead of fellow finalists Kate Lyon and Steven Carter-Bailey.
As Paul congratulated her, he made a reference to presenter Sandi Toksvig as he said: “Can I be honest? I got a little bit emotional there because Sandi got a bit emotional.
“So I just walked off quickly and said it’s the wind in my eye.”
Viewers also saw Prue say: “Sophie seems very calm but she’s not that confident, possibly because she knows everybody else has more experience. I am so proud of her. I’m proud of all of them.”
Sophie, a 33-year-old former Army officer from Surrey, said: “I tend in baking to strive for perfection, with a kind of military precision.
“The idea of winning was such a minute possibility.
“I don’t think I will forget this day for as long as I live.
“It is beyond anything I have dreamed of.”
Sophie and all the other bakers will join Jo Brand on The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice on Channel 4 at 10pm tomorrow.