Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding for The Great British Bake Off S16 / Channel 4
Lesley Holloway has become the latest baker to leave the tent on this year’s The Great British Bake Off.
The 59-year-old, a hairdresser from Kent, lost out on a place in the final five as Toby Littlewood claimed his first Star Baker of the series.
Bake Off‘s inaugural Meringue Week had seen the bakers begin with a Signature of mini meringue tarts, before tackling notoriously-difficult soufflés in the Technical.
This week’s Signature was a meringue ice cream cake, a challenge made all the harder by the temperatures in the tent.
“I am really sorry to see Lesley go,” Prue Leith said afterwards. “She’s a remarkable woman. In a way she’s my ideal baker – she’s just really having a good time. That’s what Bake Off is all about.”
After hearing that she would leave, Lesley said: “Do you know what? I knew it was coming. It’s like ripping the plaster off! Thanks so much for the experience, it has been amazing.
“I knew I would be leaving as I couldn’t get my meringue right and had resigned myself that I would be going. But I was proud that I had made it to week 7. The other bakers gave me a massive cuddle.”
“I think I have grown as a person and I feel more confident in myself and my abilities,” she continued. “I have learned a lot of new skills, learnt to trust my gut feeling, new skills and tips from other bakers, learned that you need to step through fear and take yourself out of your comfort zone as it allows you to grow. I had the time of my life!”
Lesley’s exit leaves this year’s top five as Toby, Lesley Holloway, Tom Arden, Iain Ross and Aaron Mountford-Myles.
The Great British Bake Off continues next Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4 as the quarter-finalists take on Dessert Week.
