It's hard to imagine The Great British Bake Off without Dame Prue Leith in front of the camera.
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After taking over for Dame Mary Berry in the reality competition show's eighth season, the celebrity chef became known for her love of boozy bakes and softening the blow of fellow judge Paul Hollywood's harsh critiques.
"Bake Off has been a fabulous part of my life for the last nine years, I have genuinely loved it and I'm sure I'll miss working with my fellow judge Paul, Alison and Noel and the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4," she wrote in her social media announcement last week.
The show has now officially found Leith's replacement for its upcoming 17th season, and she is familiar to both British and American audiences. We have the details below.
Who Is Replacing Prue Leith on "The Great British Bake Off"?
The show's Instagram made an official announcement today, Jan. 26, on who would be joining Hollywood on the next season of the show.
"We're delighted to announce that Nigella Lawson is joining The Great British Bake Off as our new judge," the announcement began.
"I'm uncharacteristically rather lost for words right now," Lawson said in the post. "Of course it's daunting to be following in the footsteps of Prue Leith and Mary Berry before her, great dames both, but I'm also bubbling with excitement. The Great British Bake Off is more than a television programme, it's a National Treasure - and it's a huge honour to be entrusted with it.
Lawson added, "I'm just thrilled to be joining the team and all the new bakers to come. I wish the marvellous Prue all the best, and am giddily grateful for the opportunity!"
Who Is Nigella Lawson?
Lawson began her career working as a book reviewer and a restaurant critic. She began hosting her own cooking show, titled Nigella Bites, and is the author of numerous bestselling cookbooks.
She has made frequent appearances on various Food Network series as well as on international television. While she has had a successful career in the culinary world, she is not a trained chef.
