'Bake Off' Judge Prue Leith Addresses If She Is Leaving: “I Haven’t Got Much Longer”
At 85 years old, 'Bake Off' fans wonder if Prue Leith plans to retire from judging.
Published Sept. 5 2025, 1:52 p.m. ET
When The Great British Bake Off returned to Channel 4 in the U.K. and to Netflix internationally, fans were thrilled to see the familiar tent filled once again with laughter, creativity, and sugar-dusted chaos.
It, however, didn’t take long for viewers to wonder: Is Prue Leith leaving Bake Off? The beloved judge, who joined the show in 2017 after Mary Berry’s departure, recently opened up about her future — and her candid words had some fans clutching their aprons.
The speculation flared after Prue, who turned 85 in February, told The Travel Diaries podcast: “I haven’t got much longer; I’m 85. I want to spend as much time as I can with [my husband].”
It was an honest reflection on aging and priorities, but headlines spun it as though she were preparing to hang up her apron for good. Prue later clarified that while she has scaled back her workload, she’s not walking away from the main show just yet.
Is Prue Leith leaving ‘Bake Off’? The Judge explained what was going on with her and what her plans were clearly.
Appearing on Lorraine in July 2025, Prue addressed the rumors more directly. She explained that she stepped back from the celebrity editions, like Stand Up To Cancer, because she hadn’t had a summer holiday in nearly a decade.
"I’ve only given up the celebrity, I haven’t given up," she said. "I still do The Great American Bake Off, which we’re filming at the moment. I still do The Great British Bake Off, which, of course, I love."
Far from sounding tired of the gig, Prue called it “the best job in telly.” She gushed about working with Paul Hollywood, Noel Fielding, and Alison Hammond, even praising Alison’s warmth and humor as a game-changer for the series.
When asked about her favorite weeks in the tent, she admitted she’s partial to bread over chocolate: “I’m a cook at heart, not a baker, so I like that.”
Fans push back on “carer” headlines and defend Prue’s real meaning.
Of course, the internet had its say. On Reddit, some fans criticized misleading headlines that twisted her comments into a narrative about frailty.
One viewer noted: “That headline is a ridiculous take on what she actually said, which absolutely does not allude to her being anywhere close to dying or needing a "career", but rather to her wanting to spend time with her husband … Just grosses me out at the state of journalism.”
Another fan empathized with Prue’s comments about balance: “From her actual words, I perceive this as she has an incredibly busy schedule and is reaching the point where she is needing assistance to handle all the tasks of her life while sufficiently caring for herself. I feel the same way often and I’m not even half her age.”
These perspectives highlight how Prue’s honesty about age and rest really meant something to her fans. Unfortunately, it also revealed how easy it was for media outlets to twist her words to create clickbait drama.
Prue herself has acknowledged she’ll step down one day, saying she wants to leave before she’s asked to. For now, however, she’s still tasting soggy bottoms, still cheering on nervous contestants, and still bringing her sharp but kind feedback to every episode.