Great British Bake Off's youngest contestant Sumayah's life from age to occupation
The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 tonight, September 24, with Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond returning as hosts. Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood will not be holding back when it comes to the critiques.
The show's youngest contestant is Lancashire's own Sumayah, who is taking on the mammoth challenge at just 19 years old. The dentistry student features in the trailer for the new series, dedicating her showstopper cake to her pet duck, Pato.
She is taking part in the competition series during her gap year, and she can be seen telling Noel about her interesting choice in showstopper. She says: "My cake is my pet duck.
"We hatched him from an egg in like 2018. He goes missing sometimes, if he's ever missing contact me." Baking is not her only passion as Sumayah also loves sewing and making her own clothes, as well as photography.
She admitted her Bake Off audition did not quite go as planned, explaining: "Despite my disastrous audition, I had this inexplicable feeling that I would get into the tent. Not because I was confident in myself, but more a sense of impending fear.
"I still can't believe I actually got in, it's unbelievable! I missed the phone call five times, so I was the last baker they notified.'
A self-taught baker, she has put a lot of research into her creations. Her love of baking started when she created a metre-tall macaron tower for her aunt's mehndi wedding celebration.
The tower featured 240 macarons in four different flavours and it was decorated with a cascade of flowers.
Sumayah is on Instagram and she has showcased some of her stunning bakes which include a zebra carousel biscuit cake and a Taylor Swift-themed cake featuring an incredible portrait.
Ahead of the series, Sumayah expressed her excitement on Instagram, sharing: "Feeling so lucky to have shared this surreal experience (kept captive in a tent on a field and being forced to bake) with the most amazing bunch of bakers and crew.
"After keeping this secret for so long, I hope you'll enjoy watching as much as I loved being a part of it."
In a separate post, she added: "Being there was a dream come true and I genuinely miss the tent and the people every single day.
"It's so weird that this collective fever dream we underwent is going to be gracing our televisions."
The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 on September 24 at 8pm