Prue Leith's staggering net worth, husband, and favourite London restaurant
Prue Leith is back as a judge for the 15th season of The Great British Bake Off kicking off tonight (Tuesday, September 24). The beloved show will see 12 amateurs bakers battle it out to impress her and win the title of Star Baker and hopefully a coveted handshake from Paul Hollywood.
Prue has been warmly welcomed by Bake Off fans after replacing Mary Berry in 2017. She joined the Channel 4 hit after a decade-long stint as a judge on The Great British Menu.
The 84-year-old will be on TV screens for the next 10 weeks alongside hosts Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond. Now a cooking icon, let's take a look at Prue's life outside the famous white tent.
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A childhood in South Africa
She was born in Cape Town in 1940, the daughter of a mining explosives manufacturer and an actress. Her mother, Peggy Inglis, was the country's most celebrated stage actor at the time.
After graduating from boarding school in Johannesburg, she struggled to decide on a career path. She attempted university multiple times but she dropped out after trying courses in drama, fine art, French, and architecture.
After convincing her parents to let her move to Paris, the TV chef found a passion for cooking and never looked back.
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A Michelin-starred stint in London
She moved to London in 1960 to attend French cookery school Le Cordon Bleu before starting a business supplying lunches to various businesses.
She then opened her restaurant, Leith's, in 1969. According to Prue, the Notting Hill establishment made her the first female chef in London to have a "serious, expensive restaurant".
It was later awarded a Michelin star but she sold the business in 1996. She also founded Leith's School of Food and Wine in 1975 and reportedly made a £15 million turnover before selling it in 1995.
Thanks to her many businesses, cookbooks, fiction novels, and TV deals, Prue is now worth an estimated £85 million, according to The Sun, though this is unverified.
She maintains an interest in London's culinary scene and in 2023 told MyLondon her favourite restaurant in the capital is Bentley’s Oyster Bar, just off Piccadilly.
Outside of cooking, she has also been a director at British Rail, Safeway, Whitbread, Woolworths, the Halifax bank and Belmond Luxury Trains and Hotels (formerly Orient Express).
A quiet life in Gloucestershire
Prue now lives in Moreton-in-Marsh with husband John, a former fashion designer. She was previously married to author Rayne Kruger for 40 years before his death in 2002.
Prue revealed in her autobiography that before they wed, she and Kruger had a 13-year affair and he was her mother’s best friend’s husband. The pair later had two children together, including Conservative MP Danny Kruger.
She now dedicates the majority of her time to charity work. She made the decision to step away from this year's celebrity version of Bake Off as it took her away from other commitments.
The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 at 8pm tonight.