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Prue Leith, 82, says its wonderful 'people still want to employ me'

Prue Leith
Prue Leith

Celebrity chef Prue Leith has said "it's wonderful that people still want to employ me" at the age of 82.

Leith built her career around food, first as a restaurateur and chef and later as a judge on Great British Menu, before moving to The Great British Bake Off as a judge in 2017.

On still being in demand, she told Good Housekeeping magazine: "It’s extraordinary. I thought I’d be under the sod by the time I was 82.

"It’s wonderful that people still want to employ me and people are still interested in me.

"But what I’m most pleased about is that I still have the energy and enthusiasm to do it all."

The South Africa-born chef joined the popular baking competition show after it moved from BBC One to Channel 4, following in the footsteps of Mary Berry.

Speaking about juggling her career while raising two children, the Good Housekeeping October cover star said: "When I had my first child, Daniel, I took four months off and I loved it.

"I thought, 'This is wonderful, I never want to go back.’ Four months in, with my baby as my sole companion, I suddenly thought, ‘This is not the life I want to live at all. I have to go back.’

"You have to do what’s right for you, but it doesn’t come without some feeling that you’ve not got it quite right because you’re making trade-offs all the time."

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