Great British Bake Off’s Prue Leith, 77, says she ‘feels like a teenager again’ due to thriving sex life with her new ‘toyboy’ hubby… who knows what she kneads
NEW Bake Off judge Prue Leith is more than qualified to keep the cheeky innuendos flowing now Mary Berry has left the show.
In fact, she is sure to raise the filth level even higher.
In her first sit-down interview since The Sun revealed she has landed one of the biggest judging jobs on telly, the cookery legend has told all about her thriving sex life, at the age of 77.
Exposing her bedroom antics with new husband John Playfair, 70, who she calls her “toyboy”, the saucy cook said: “It’s surprising how you can behave like a 16-year-old in your 60s, or a 17-year-old in your 70s.
“You know, it’s exactly the same. You fall in love with somebody, you start worrying why the phone is not ringing and thinking, ‘Can I ring him?’.”
Prue Leith first hit it off with John at a dinner party six years ago.
Days later he turned up at her home on a motorbike with a handwritten note to ask her out.
She has since admitted to thinking thoughts “unsuitable for a septuagenarian (a seventy-something)” when pressing her thigh up against his during a theatre trip.
The pair wed in October last year, and Prue’s lust is as strong as ever.
She told The Sun: “Is romance dead for me? I got married five months ago. He’s a great guy, too. He’s lovely and he’s my toyboy.
“I’m 77 and he’s 70, so he’s a mere boy. It’s enlivening”
Prue’s frank interview comes two days after we revealed she is set to earn three times more than Mary Berry when she takes over from her on The Great British Bake Off.
John is only 70 so he’s a mere boy. It’s enlivening
Prue on hubby John
She is expected to sign a £200,000-per-series deal with Channel 4 — but there’s no bad feelings from her predecessor and long-time pal Mary, 81.
Speaking fondly of Mary, Prue said: “We started together and we’ve been friends for a hundred years.
There wasn’t really competition because she was doing much more telly than me for a long time.
“And then I was doing more telly than her and she was doing all the Aga stuff.
“Then I started doing The Great British Menu and she started doing The Great British Bake Off about five years later.”
Channel 4 and Bake Off makers Love Productions will not confirm that Prue is joining Paul Hollywood on the revamped show until they have sealed their full line-up of stars.
I’m enjoying the attention…it’s a huge ego trip
Prue on the Great British Bake Off
But Prue has admitted she is “enjoying the attention” in the meantime, saying: “It’s a huge ego trip.”
She even let slip the stars in the running to replace Mel and Sue.
They are Thomasina Miers, founder of Mexican restaurant chain Wahaca, and Irish telly chef Rachel Allen.
Prue said: “I know what’s happening, they’re trying to cast Mel and Sue and they’ve got to make sure that we all gel.
“I don’t know who is in the frame for definite but I’m pretty sure it’s Thomasina Miers and Rachel Allen, who are both much younger than me, much better looking and much better bakers.”
As well as a master baker, Prue is an esteemed author with seven romantic novels to her name.
I’m pretty sure it’s Rachel Allen and Thomasina Miers
Prue on new hosts
As we chat, she is preparing to go on stage at London’s National Liberal Club to host the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards.
During out time together, she polishes off a glass of champagne before picking up another.
But she does not need any Dutch courage when it comes to talking about sex.
It’s a subject she encourages other women to be open about, too.
She said: “I think it’s silly to ignore it.
“An awful lot of older women do have love affairs or wish they were having love affairs.
“I think the most important thing in the whole world is love and relationships and if you don’t have them it’s quite bad.”
Prue’s second marriage had a far more straight-forward build-up than her first.
At the age of 21 she began an affair with the husband of her mum’s best friend.
He was 39-year-old South African writer and businessman Rayne Kruger.
After a 13-year fling they eventually tied the knot.
Rayne had links to the underworld, which led them to dabble in hard drugs, including LSD, and indulge in a wealth of sexual experimentation.
They were married for 28 years and had two children before Rayne died in 2002, aged 80.
Prue previously admitted she was quietly enjoying widowhood and having “yoghurt for supper” before new man John arrived on the scene. But now she is smitten.
The apparent secret to their happy marriage is living in separate houses but having plenty of “sleepovers”.
With time to herself, Prue is busy finishing the final instalment of her romantic trilogy The Food of Love — a tale of food and fashion set against the backdrop of war.
The story has already been snapped up for TV by Stephen Fry’s production firm, meaning we could be seeing more than just her culinary creations on the box.
Prue said: “I have hopes because it’s with Sprout Productions and Sprout is Stephen Fry’s company.
“The woman who is leading the charge really loves it and wants to make it work.
We’ve been friends for hundreds of years
Prue on Mary Berry
“My next ambition is to actually pull off a TV series or a film.”
Before the Bake Off fanfare began (and before she bagged that killer pay cheque), Prue was actually planning to turn her back on television work.
She said: “I was thinking of leaving for years because I thought it was ridiculous to be in the same show for 11 years, sitting in the same room with the same guys, doing the same thing.
“I was intending not do any more telly and then I got talked into My Kitchen Rules, which I did with Michael Caines.
“And now I’ve been talked into putting my hat in the ring for Bake Off, so I’m easily persuaded.”
As out chat came to an end, I made sure to grab the “new Mary Berry” for a picture.
Before making a quick exit, she quipped: “You’ll have to walk with me and take me down the stairs to the exit, to get your picture. That’s the cost of the photo!”
Once she starts on Bake Off later this year, a selfie with Prue will cost far more than that.
• Prue Leith was speaking at the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Romantic Novel of the Year Awards 2017.