America thinks Bake Off's Candice is the perfect replacement for Nigella

While her old Bake Off mentors are busy squabbling over who stays with the Beeb and who hops over to Channel 4, series winner Candice Brown has far bigger fish to fry.

The star baker is apparently in the subject of a furious bidding war between three US TV channels, all eager to capitalise on her appeal. Fox and NBC are apparently ‘desperate’ to sign up the Londoner – while ABC reckon she’s the perfect replacement for Nigella Lawson.

“It has been put to Candice that she would be the new face of The Taste,” an insider told the Star. “This would spell the end of Nigella’s reign in the US, but viewing figures were already dropping after she admitted taking cocaine.

“They told Candice she was perfect to reboot the show and she is being heralded as the sexiest thing since Nigella’s spoon sucking.”

The 31-year-old PE teacher had planned to head back to school and carrying on taking lessons as if nothing had happened, but her career’s gone so stratospheric that she’s now quit the job to pursue a career in showbiz.

“Candice can’t believe how her career is snowballing – it’s crazy,” continued the source. “This time last year she was teaching and by next year she could be living in LA and presenting her own cookery show.”

Candice has got her finger in a few other pies than a lucrative stateside career, too. Offers so far have included cooking merchandise, a vintage jewellery line, becoming the face of Aga ovens, and even a make up range with Revel London.

“This has been such an agonising decision,” Candice told reporters when she finally decided to quit her teaching job. “Never in a million years did I go into the show thinking this would happen. That is why I have been back at school teaching since I won the final.

“I kept telling the school I would stay until December. But my head teacher told me, ‘You’ve got to do this, you can’t do it halfheartedly. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I missed out. It’s not that we don’t want you here but you have to give it 100%.”