Dame Prue Leith has opened up about her decision to step down from The Great British Bake Off.

In a statement earlier this month, Dame Prue announced she was leaving the show after nine years co-judging with Paul Hollywood, having first joined Bake Off when it moved to Channel 4 in 2017.

Now, she has elaborated on her decision in a piece for The Spectator, admitting that she’s been “dithering for years” about the right time to leave Bake Off.

“When I joined nine years ago, I thought, since I was in my mid-70s, that I’d be lucky to manage two years,” Prue wrote.

“At that age, my mother was deaf as a post and away with the fairies, believing her son was her father and that her cat was the one she’d had 40 years before. But my marbles stayed more or less in place and there seemed no good reason to give up a job I loved.”

Dame Prue went on to explain that “the desire to work less and play more” got to her, and with the Bake Off filming always taking place over summer, she missed out on getting away for a summer holiday.

The outgoing judge shared that the “trigger” to leave the show was a trip to Madagascar to escape the English winter.

“I suddenly realised that if I don’t give up Bake Off, I’ll never again have a holiday in the south of France, in Italy, in Spain, or even in Cornwall or Scotland,” she explained.

Prue also offered her thoughts on her replacement, Nigella Lawson, who was officially announced to be joining Bake Off earlier this week after mounting rumours, describing her as the “perfect” choice.

“She’s a great baker and knows her onions, cookies, crumbles and croissants,” Prue wrote, “She’s also really nice, mighty glam and seriously bright, sexy and sassy. I’m just glad she wasn’t in the running nine years ago.”

Nigella will pick up the baton (Battenberg?) when Bake Off returns for its 17th series in the summer, along with co-judge Paul and returning presenters Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding.