Entertainment
What happened to the Great British Bake Off winners? From national treasures to Strictly Come Dancing stars
What happened next? (Picture: REX / Channel 4)
The Great British Bake Off is back, and everything is well in the world.
Like getting a big, warm hug from our tellies every week, it’s one of the most wholesome shows out there – and in uncertain times, it’s more needed than ever.
There are 12 brand new contestants to look out for, all hoping to match the champions who won over viewers and produced some of the most mouth-watering creations across the programme’s 11-year-long history.
And what big shoes to fill they are.
Some of the previous series winners have gone on to be household names, transcending the world of baking and even branching out into other hit shows.
From national treasures to Strictly Come Dancing stars, these are the previous winners of the Great British Bake Off and what they’re up to now.
Edd Kimber
Edd won the first ever series (Picture: Mike Marsland/WireImage)
The Great British Bake Off was just finding its feet when Edd won back in 2010. At the time he was one of just 10 contestants stepping into the tent trying to impress original judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, and it was a much shorter series at just six episodes.
He’s enjoyed an interesting career since then, having published a series of cookbooks and continuing to run the food blog The Boy Who Bakes.
Edd has had a few interesting gigs over the past decade too, having worked in the pastry kitchen of Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir restaurant and also been the resident baker on The Alan Titchmarsh Show.
Jo Wheatley
The 2011 winner runs a backing school (Picture: Love Productions)
The nation was starting to really take interest in the series when Jo Whealey won in 2011 by beating Holly Bell and Mary-Anne Boermans in the final.
She’s stayed in the world of baking since she impressed the judges with her white chocolate and pistachio meringues to clinch the crown in the second ever final.
The mum of three went on to set up a home cooking school, Jo’s Blue AGA, and publish her book A Passion For Baking and Home Baking.
John Whaite
John is set to make Strictly history (Picture: PA)
Recognise John? Why of course you do, he’s just made history by becoming the first ever male celebrity to take part in a same-sex pairing on Strictly Come Dancing.
He’s had an interesting time since beating Brendan Lynch and James Morton in the 2012 final, and Strictly is just the latest step.
First, he went back to school and earned a patisserie diploma from Le Cordon Bleu, before launching a cooking school and publishing a number of books.
Back in 2018 he announced that he was set to return to his former career in law, announcing plans to try and become a barrister. However, he’s making a return to the telly on Strictly Come Dancing, and we can’t wait to see how he gets on.
Frances Quinn
Frances was crowned the show’s fourth champion (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Presenter Mel Giedroyc accidentally knocked over Frances Quinn’s biscuit tower in one of the more memorable moments from the 2014 series, but Frances didn’t let it knock her off her stride.
While people might remember fellow contestant Ruby Tandoh as the main star of series four, Frances has made her way in the cooking industry since being awarded the title.
A clothes designer before her time on the programme, Frances published the cookbook Quinntessential Baking after her time in the tent before appearing on shows like This Morning.
Nancy Birtwhistle
Nancy impressed the judges throughout her time in the tent (Picture: BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdi)
Fan favourite Richard Burr proved tough competition back then, but it was the ultra-reliable Nancy who became the oldest ever winner at the age of 60 in 2014.
Like many stars of the series, she went on to write a cookbook, with Sizzle And Drizzle: Tips for a modern day home-maker released in 2019.
She had retired before entering the competition but she returned to work and contributed recipes to many publications.
Nancy still keeps her followers updated with her thoughts on the new series – and even recently shared a very complimentary message about Paul a few weeks back.
‘I was only thinking – the nights are drawing in, autumn almost here but that means Bake Off will be back,’ she wrote.
‘Looking forward to meeting a new set of bakers and seeing the male judge not looking a day older.’
Nadiya Hussain
She remains the show’s most successful winner (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX)
Of course, no one could forget Nadiya.
She won the hearts of the nation during the 2015 series and left us all in tears after that victory speech, proudly saying she was never ‘never, ever gonna put boundaries on myself ever again.’
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, and since then she’s gone on to have a pretty remarkable career and earn national treasure status.
It wasn’t long before she was writing cookbooks, novels, picture books and even baking the Queen’s 90th wedding cake, as well as hosting shows like The Chronicles Of Nadiya, Nadiya’s British Food Adventure and The Big Family Cooking Showdown.
She also starred in the candid documentary Nadiya: Anxiety And Me, showing another side to the most popular winner in the show’s history.
Candice Brown
Candice has opened a pub since winning the show (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)
It wasn’t long after Candice Brown’s win back in 2016 that she quit her job as a PE teacher to focus her attentions fully on baking and TV work.
She put the graft in to learn her craft and spent time working in Tom Kerridge’s kitchen, as well as balancing it with appearances on reality series Dancing On Ice.
There was also her cookbook Comfort: Delicious Bakes and Family Treats, which came in 2017.
Fans will remember her very gingerbread pub creation in the Bake Off tent and sure enough a few years later she bought a real pub of her very own. She took over The Green Man in Eversholt, Bedfordshire, in 2019 and despite a tricky time during the pandemic it’s back open and serving once again.
Sophie Faldo
Sophie won the show’s first ever series on Channel 4 (Picture: James Gourley/REX/Shutterstock)
The first winner after the programme moved to Channel 4, Sophie Faldo’s win was rather cruelly overshadowed at the time.
Her victory was announced early by judge Prue Leith on Twitter, but Sophie didn’t let it stop her enjoying her crowning as Bake Off champion.
Sophie, who was previously a serving member of the Royal Artillery and a side career as a stuntwoman, told the BBC that she was a ‘a private person’ who initially struggled a little with the fame that came with the show.
In the last few years, though, she’s stayed in the industry and launched luxury cakes business Sophie Faldo Couture Cakes.
There are lots of other things to keep her busy, too, as she has previously been a ski-touring instructor and an athlete with a bronze medal at the British Rowing Championships.
Rahul Mandal
The most relatable winner ever? (Picture: Love Productions)
We’re going to go out on a limb and say that Rahul has to go down as the brainiest ever winner of the Bake Off.
After becoming a living meme as the most relatable baker of all time, Mandal returned to his job as a professor and Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Center researcher at the University of Sheffield.
While he hasn’t been baking full time since then, he’s been fighting the good fight by creating the #AMRCtribe campaign to encourage more women to become engineers.
Like all fans of the show, he’s gagging for new episodes too. He recently wrote on social media about the 2021 line-up: ‘I am waiting for this for so long…not only me everyone in the UK as well as everyone across the pond!! Can’t wait! Good luck to all the lovely bakers!’
David Atherton
David nearly didn’t star in the competition at all (Picture: Love Productions)
It was a stroke of luck that 2019 winner David Atherton ever got the chance to appear in the Bake Off tent, having been a reserve for the series who got the call up at late notice.
He took the opportunity with both hands and went on to beat Alice Fevronia and Steph Blackwell in the final.
Since then he’s published his first cookbook, rather fittingly called My First Cookbook. He previously worked in nursing and healthcare before the series and he did great work outside of baking last year by becoming a covid vaccinator.
Peter Sawkins
The student won over viewers in 2020 (Picture: Channel 4)
And finally, we get to last year’s champion Peter Sawkins, who became the show’s youngest ever champion.
Tackling difficult conditions inside the covid-secure Bake Off bubble, he consistently shone with his bakes and ran out a clear winner.
The 20-year-old finance student from Edinburgh went back to university after his time on the series and watched the final with his flatmates – who had no idea he’d won until it was announced on screen.
‘I can’t quite believe that I am here, I can’t quite believe that I made it on to the show, and I can’t quite believe that the show happened,’ he said in his adorable victory speech.
More: The Great British Bake Off
‘I wanted this a lot. When I was 12, I was watching repeats of Bake Off back-to-back, and it got me into baking big time.’
His first recipe book Peter Bakes is set to be released in October.
The Great British Bake Off returns at 8pm on Channel 4.
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