Great British Bake Off star Prue Leith has been married to fashion designer John Playfair since 2016 and he has started sharing the limelight with her after they starred in their cooking show Cotswold Kitchen
Prue Leith has revealed her husband, John Playfair, is overshadowing her(Image: ITV)
Prue Leith says her husband has turned into a bigger telly star than her after their cookery show. Opening up about sharing the limelight with John Playfair, Great British Bake Off favourite Prue, 85, says he gets stopped by fans now and not her.
The pair opened the doors to their home for ITV series Cotswold Kitchen, which has made John an overnight celebrity. “People are always saying we’re like a 21st version of Fanny and Johnny Craddock,” Prue laughed. “I don’t know if I’m entirely delighted that he’s such a success. I’m supposed to be the telly star in the family!”
Recalling a recent encounter with a fan, Prue told: “We were in the checkout at the supermarket the other day and the girl on the till recognised John. She said, ‘Oh you’re the man on Cotswold Kitchen. I love that show. You’re wonderful! You’re so funny!’ and blah, blah, blah. And I’m stood there packing the bags and she hasn’t a clue who I am!”
Prue and retired fashion designer John married in 2016. It was Prue’s second marriage after her first husband Rayne Kruger died in 2002, aged 80. Opening up about their relationship this week, Prue said she wanted to make the most of their years together.
“I haven’t got much longer, I’m 85, I want to spend as much time as I can with him,” she said to Holly Rubenstein on The Travel Diaries podcast. So working together on their series has been perfect for the pair.
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The couple have been starring on ITV’s Cotswold Kitchen(Image: Channel 4)
“He’s always up for anything,” explains Prue. “I was very conscious that filming takes place at our home and how disruptive that is because it usually takes longer than originally thought plus takes over far more of the house than just the kitchen. There are cables everywhere! I thought it would be such a pain for him so why not involve him? It seemed natural to pull him in.
“We do different things – John does the outside stuff. He’s always cutting the hedges or doing the verges or on a tractor or something. And he’s so much himself. There’s no point giving him a script or anything. He’s like me – just asks what questions he wants to ask.”
Lifting the lid on life on set, Prue reveals she’s had a specific clause written into her contract. “It’s in my contract that I have an hour’s nap after lunch,” she told. “At my age, I need a sleep in the afternoon when I’m working. Everyone loves it because it means they get an extra hour’s break every day – although they have to be quiet as ‘maddam’ is upstairs having a kip!”
Prue is well loved as a judge on Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off(Image: PA)
At 85, Prue is showing no signs of slowing down. Sharing the secrets to her long and happy life?
“I eat well, I sleep well, and I guess I love well. I’m very happy. I think if you’re happy, you just do have more energy. I think when you’re unhappy, you just want to curl up and not do anything. So I think a lot to do is the fact that I am genuinely happy and I’ve got every bloody reason to be happy. I found happiness with John, having been a widow. My children and grandchildren are well and happy. This is the stuff that really matters plus I love my job, have no money worries and have a lovely house. I have had sadness in my life, of course I have. I’ve lost both my brothers and my younger brother was my best friend. But death happens.”
Missing the celebrity version of Great British Bake Off so she could take time off to travel and spend it with family, Prue is back for the regular series later this year and for the US version. So what is her future on the Channel 4 show?
“I honestly don’t know,” she admits. “We don’t often get a new contract until we’re actually filming a new series. When I stop doing it, I want to jump rather than be pushed. I’ll have to stop some time but right now I’m very happy.”
