Prue Leith says she agrees with GBBO fan criticism of her ‘posh’ voice

‘Great British Bake Off’ judge has spoken out on viewer criticisms of her voice

Prue Leith has shared a withering take on her speaking voice after some feedback from viewers of The Great British Bake Off.

The food writer and presenter has been a part of the popular baking show since 2017 as a judge, following the much-publicised departure of Mary Berry.

Though a staple of the competition now, Leith initially inspired some doubts in the minds of some fans, who were not shy in expressing their distaste for her voice on social media.

In a new interview with The Times, the 83-year-old South African restaurateur admitted that she understood the reaction to her speech, and that she felt similarly.

“Oh, I hate my voice. It’s too posh. When I replaced Mary Berry on Bake Off someone on Twitter said: ‘Oh no, not that posh b***h,’ and I sort of agreed with her. But yes, Americans seem to like it.”

Elsewhere in the interview, published on Thursday (15 February), Leith stated that she did not find being on the show boring, as expressed by former presenter Sandi Toksvig.

Last month, Toksvig quipped that she once felt her brain “atrophying” while watching meringues dry on the show, leading to her leaving the co-hosting gig and beginning a research project at the University of Cambridge.

Prue Leith (Getty Images)

Though claiming she cannot relate to Toksvig’s dissatisfaction with the show’s demands, Leith understood that her ex-colleague may have felt that way “because she is such an intellectual”.

“She’s now back at university and she’ll earn no money but she loves it because she’s so clever and loves working with young people.

“And while she was a presenter, judges like me aren’t on screen all the time” she reasoned. “I walk on, eat cake and walk off. I can be busy writing a cookbook the rest of the time.”

Leith also touched on Toksvig’s claim of extreme boredom during a discussion on Times Radio last week (Tuesday 6 February), sharing that she saw the many ways that the QI host filled her time while sharing a green room.

“We had this wonderful selection of books and she would knit little figures and dress them beautifully. Did you know she’s a knitter? She sells [them] for charity.”

Bake Off 2018 winner Rahul Mandal, Prue Leith and Sandi Toksvig (Getty Images)

As well as knitting, Leith revealed that Toksvig also wrote scripts in the downtime while filming, adding that she believed she exaggerated her feelings for comic effect.

“She did a lot of other things. I mean, I can see that for some people as clever as Sandi, watching meringue dry is perhaps a bit heavy, but I think she just liked the joke. I don’t think she was really bored.”

Leith will soon host a new cooking TV show with her husband John Playfair, titled Prue Leith’s Cotswolds Kitchen on ITV1 and ITVX.