The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Star’s marriage no Hollywood ending
Celebrity: Presenterandwifesplitafter20years
Paul Hollywood and his wife Alex are separating after nearly 20 years of marriage.
The Great British Bake Off judge and his wife said in a joint statement: “It is with sadness that we have decided to separate.
“Our focus continues to be the happiness of our son, and we would ask the press and public to allow us privacy as a family during this very difficult time.”
Paul and Alex, also a chef, married in 1998, and have a teenage son together.
They previously separated in 2013 when the TV chef admitted to having an affair with Marcela Valladolid, his co-star on the US version of Bake Off.
The couple reconciled a few months later and he described the incident as “the biggest mistake of my life” in an interview at the time.
The 51-year-old baker will return as a judge for the second series of Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off next year.
Meanwhile, Hollywood has said former female stars of Bake Off “abandoned” the series when it moved from the BBC to Channel 4.
Co-judge Mary Berry and presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins chose not to go with the baking programme when it was sold last year.
Hollywood faced a backlash from fans after he decided to make the move, declaring that the tent is “where I belong”.
But he told Radio Times magazine: “I stayed with Bake Off.
“The girls abandoned it. But I was the one put under siege.
“I became the most hated man in the country!
“It’s not fun for someone that doesn’t like being in the limelight.
“I didn’t set out to be on the telly, I set out to be a good baker. And I didn’t want this.”
He added: “If you give me a cheque, you’ll never see me again.”
Asked how big a cheque it would take, he said: “Not much, to be honest.”
Hollywood now judges the cooking contest alongside Prue Leith, with Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding as the presenters.
It has continued to do well in the ratings, with 10million people tuning in to see Sophie Faldo win the last series – the first on Channel 4.
But Hollywood suggested he is frustrated with those viewers who have not accompanied the show to its new home.
“There are people who can’t get past channel one, the older generation, who don’t understand how that works,” he said.
“They only flick a couple of buttons and it takes three clicks to watch Channel 4.”
“I didn’tsetoutto beonthetelly, I setouttobe agoodbaker”