Prue Leith: "If I was knocked over by a bus tomorrow, it would be a fair cop"

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 6mo

Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith admits that she is "not frightened of dying" but is scared of "the process of it".

Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith has admitted that she is "not frightened of dying" as she believes she has already had a decent innings.

The 80-year-old remains in good health and is still active in the industry but like most of the population, has been forced to isolate at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I am quite philosophical. I've had quite a lucky life. I've had two happy marriages, two wonderful children," Leith told the Fortunately... with Fi and Jane podcast. "If I was knocked over by a bus tomorrow, it would be a fair cop, I've had wonderful life and it would be ridiculous to expect it to go on like this forever.

"If I was knocked out by this virus it would be a surprise because I'm fairly resilient and I tend to throw things off quickly but you know what, we're going to die anyway.

'I'm not frightened of dying, what I'm frightened of is the process of it. I don't want a horrible, painful, distressing death. I think that's the terrible thing about what Covid has done - this business of not being able to die with your family around you and not being able to lie in some degree of comfort.

"I think even if you are allowed in to see your love ones with a mask and perspex screen in front of you and looking like an alien and if your mother is a bit senile or confused - how terrible for them.

"But you know, occasionally these terrible things happen to the world like war or pestilence and because we live such comfortable lives mostly we are tremendously shocked when it happens but every hundred years or so this sort of thing does happen."

Leith, who replaced Mary Berry on GBBO in 2017, recently admitted that she is uncertain whether this year's series will still go ahead as planned.