Dame Prue Leith has been a part of The Great British Bake Off since the show moved to Channel 4 in 2017, but the star has now announced that she is stepping away from the show.
Announcing the news on Instagram, the 85-year-old wrote: "After nine series and judging more than 400 challenges, I have decided to step down as a judge on The Great British Bake Off. Bake Off has been a fabulous part of my life for the last nine years, I have genuinely loved it and I'm sure I'll miss working with my fellow judge Paul, Alison and Noel and the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4.
"But now feels like the right time to step back (I'm 86 for goodness sake!), there’s so much I’d like to do, not least spend summers enjoying my garden. Whoever joins the team, I’m sure they’ll love it as much as I have. I feel very lucky to have been part of it."
Channel 4 said of her departure: "From her genuine expertise and encouragement of the bakers to her ability to drop innocent innuendos that reduce the entire tent (and the audience at home) to tears of laughter, Prue will always have a piece of Bake Off's heart."
It hasn't been confirmed who is replacing the star, but when she stepped away from The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer last year, she was replaced by Lady Caroline Waldegrave OBE.
Channel 4 said an announcement on Dame Prue's replacement would be made in "due course".
Sharing their sadness at Prue's departure, previous series winner Rahul Mandal wrote: "We will miss you so much. It was a joy and privilege to be in the tent you. You are kind, funny, passionate and always inspired us. I want Deveshi to be like you, bold, brave and beautiful."
Fellow champion Peter Sawkins added: "Congratulations on so many great series, Prue! It was a complete privilege to be on the show with you as judge. Thank you," while another fan penned: "Prue you are an icon, thank you for taking the sting out of Paul's comments with your kinder words."
The star had many memorable moments on the show, including a hilarious faux pas when she asked a contestant about their animal-themed cake during an illusion-based challenge, and in 2017, she accidentally announced the winner of the series before the episode had aired due to a time mix-up while on holiday.
Prue's previous departure
Last year, Prue stood back from the show citing her age. Appearing on This Morning, she explained: "These things are filmed back-to-back all the way through summer from April to August, so you don't get any time off. I'm getting quite old and there's places I want to see. So, I'm not doing this year's."
The star indicated in an interview with the Mail on Sunday last April that last year's series might be her last in the iconic tent. She explained: "I'm doing this year's Bake Off, and I don't know if this will be my last. I've got to stop some time, so I might stop next year. I thought I'd just see how I go this year, because I definitely feel a bit older this year than I did last year."
She continued: "Things like, getting out of a chair takes me longer than it used to. I don't like big steps without a handrail. None of these things worried me two years ago – I could run upstairs – and so I'm very keen to leave Bake Off before I'm asked to leave."