Paul Hollywood breaks silence on Prue Leith's epic Bake Off Twitter gaffe: 'I was horrified'

Hollywood said he couldn't get too angry as it was a mistake
Unimpressed: Paul Hollywood with Prue Leith
Channel 4
Emma Powell3 November 2017

Paul Hollywood has admitted he was “horrified” after Prue Leith accidentally announced this year’s Great British Bake Off winner 12 hours before the show aired.

Leith, 77, left fans furious after an embarrassing Twitter gaffe saw her reveal Sophie Faldo had won the competition over fellow bakers Steven Carter-Bailey and Kate Lyon.

Hollywood, who judges alongside Leith on the show, was quizzed on his reaction to the epic fail by Jo Brand on Bake Off Extra Slice, who joked that Leith “couldn't be here, as she is too busy deleting her Twitter account.”

Speaking about the premature reveal, Hollywood said: “What can I say?

Not so big reveal: Kate Lyon, winner Sophie Faldo and Steven Carter-Bailey
Channel 4

“I was horrified. But at the same time, she made a mistake.”

Brand closed the show with another dig at Leith, telling viewers: “Oh, I've got a text from Prue.

“Apparently the winner is someone called Malcolm.

“Well, congratulations Malcolm.”

Leith said she was left “mortified” after ruining Bake Off on Tuesday morning, telling fans it was caused by confusion over a time difference as she was in Bhutan.

She tweeted: “No-one told me judging a GBBO final would be so emotional. I wanted them all to win. Bravo Sophie.”

The post was quickly deleted before she later 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 f***** up.”

Leith, Hollywood, and hosts Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig will return to the show in 2018.

The Great British Bake Off 2017 - The Contestants

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