- 08:00, 24 SEP 2023
The Great British Bake Off is returning to TV screens on Tuesday, 26 September, with a fresh set of amateur bakers ready to enter the iconic tent.
The 2023 series of the hit Channel 4 show will see Alison Hammond make her debut as co-host alongside Noel Fielding, after she was confirmed as comedian Matt Lucas’ replacement.
Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood will once again be judging the contestants’ bakes, going on to decide who will be crowned the UK’s best amateur baker.
More than 150 bakers have passed through the famous tent since the first episode of the iconic show aired on BBC 2 back in August 2010.
While some have returned to their day jobs, many have carved out incredible careers in the culinary world.
However, sadly, one contestant has tragically passed away since appearing on GBBO in 2014.
Here’s a look at some of the show’s most memorable bakers and what they’re up to now…
Laura Adlington
Laura was one of the stand-out stars from series 11, with viewers falling in love with both her sense of humour and her messy baking.
Since then, she’s become a plus-size fashion influencer and body positivity advocate, with a loyal following on social media. She hosts an award-winning podcast, Go Love Yourself, and her debut book, Diet Starts Monday, comes out in January 2024.
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Kim-Joy Hewlett
Series nine finalist Kim-Joy captivated viewers with her sparkling personality and string of colourful bakes. Since the show, she’s released several cookbooks and written for The Guardian newspaper.
The baker’s latest projects include releasing a card game (Kim Joy’s Magic Bakery), penning a graphic novel and masterminding the cookbook Bake Me a Cat, a collection of show-stopping, feline-themed recipes.
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Luis Troyano
Former contestant Luis sadly passed away aged 48 of oesophageal cancer in November 2020.
The baker, who rose to fame as a finalist on the fifth series of the hit show, battled the disease privately.
He made it to the final of the fifth series of GBBO with mouth-watering desserts like his tequila slammer cheesecake and cherry brandy gâteau.
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Candice Brown
Candice won series seven after wowing the judges with a royal picnic dubbed a ‘humdinger of a show-stopper’.
Since her TV stint, the former school teacher has appeared at food festivals and on TV. She’s also published two cookbooks; her latest, Happy Cooking, focuses on comfort food to soothe the soul. She also co-owns The Green Man pub in Milton Keynes.
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Nadiya Hussain
Nadiya’s career took off when she won the 2015 series of Bake Off. Since the competition, she’s appeared on numerous TV shows, including travelogue The Chronicles of Nadiya, penned seven bestselling cookbooks and has written for The Times’ Saturday magazine supplement.
She served an orange drizzle cake for the Queen’s 90th birthday, and is a published novelist too. In 2020, she received an MBE for services to broadcasting and the culinary arts.
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Ruby Tandoh
Ruby has carved out a very successful career for herself. As well as penning cookbooks Crumb: The Baking Book and Flavour: Eat What You Love, Ruby has also written about body image, sexuality and feminism in her book Eat Up: Appetite and Eating What You Want.
Her latest cookbook, Cook As You Are, has been hailed for its inclusivity. She also currently contributes to online food magazine Vittles.
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Edd Kimber
Edd, known as ‘The Boy Who Bakes’, won the very first series of GBBO. He promptly ditched his job, and has since gone on to forge a successful career as a food writer and TV personality – writing several cookbooks along the way.
He has since worked at Raymond Blanc’s prestigious restaurant Le Manoir and enjoyed a stint as resident baker on The Alan Titchmarsh Show.
His latest project was a cookbook called Small Batch Bakes, which was released in 2022.
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Jo Wheatley
After winning GBBO series two in 2011, Jo went on to pen two books: A Passion for Baking and Home Baking. She has also written for a number of magazines, and appeared on TV shows like The One Show and This Morning.
On top of this, she’s opened a cookery school, which is touted as one of the best baking schools in the UK. Nowadays, the busy chef likes to travel and keep her followers up to date through Instagram.
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James Morton
Although 2012 finalist James stuck to his original plan of going into medicine – he currently works as an NHS doctor – he has also achieved fame as a baker and food writer.
Busy bee James’ books include Super Sourdough, Brew (about making beer), and Shetland, which explores life on the Scottish island. Since exiting the show, he’s also welcomed two daughters – Lily and Eve.
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