It was arrivederci for The Great British Bake Off favourite Yan as she left the tent following a disastrous Italian Week.

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While Steven Carter-Bailey triumphed and was named Star Baker for the third time, Yan became the seventh baker to be sent home after messing up her cannoli, undercooking her pizza and delivering sfogliatelle that Prue Leith simply labelled "a mess".

The show's first ever Italian Week was definitely a major challenge for all the bakers as temperatures soared to 40 degrees, melting the ingredients and causing a few meltdowns in the process.

While everyone survived the weekend mainly in one piece (even if Kate lost a bit of blood), it was the end of the line for the 46-year-old scientist and amateur baker from London, who dubbed her own Showstopper an "ugly-atelle".

GBBO8 Baker Portrait Yan Iceingcake 944

"I am amazed how far I have come; it’s been difficult, tough, but an amazing experience," she said afterwards. "It’s been the best. I have had a totally wonderful adventure, thank you so much."

Yan has come out with some excellent lines during her time on Bake Off.

"I was completely surprised at the interest on social media about me," she said. "The phrases that I said on the show that I don’t really remember now saying have become some kind of hit on social media.

"Everything I say just comes out spontaneously; my family call them Yannisms. Every time I reference a movie or something obscure Twitter goes mad - it’s a whole new world to me – but I am enjoying it."

Molecular biologist Yan lives in North London with her cat Kacey and her wife Marian, who has been the inspiration behind many of her bakes. She was born in Hong Kong but moved to the UK at the age of two.

GBBO8 Yan episode 1.215 copy

Yan impressed the judges during Pastry Week and she even got a Hollywood Handshake in Pudding Week, but she finally came undone during Italian Week.

Her cocktail cannoli came out soft, and a mistake with the dough for her margarita pizza Technical Challenge left her in fifth place. Her Showstopper of Canadian-inspired sfogliatelle with maple bacon pecan also came out doughy and raw.

Yan joked: "I learned in Italian Week that I wasn’t Italian! I think their food is amazing but unfortunately I couldn’t replicate it."

She added: "To get through to seven weeks is an amazing achievement. I really thought I was leaving on Caramel Week in episode four so I was so pleased that I got to episode seven.

"It was the hottest day of the year, and it was the longest day of the year, in more ways than one for me."

Things are now hotting up in the tent in more ways than one. With just five bakers left, who will be crowned the champion of The Great British Bake Off 2017?

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Yan will join Jo Brand on The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice on Thursday 12th October at 10pm on Channel 4. The Great British Bake Off airs on Tuesdays at 8pm.


Meet the Bakers

Kate Lyon

Great British Bake Off 2017 contestant Kate

Steven Carter-Bailey

Steven Bake Off 2017

Sophie Faldo

Bake Off 2017 Sophie

Stacey Hart

stacey-hart

Liam Charles

Great British Bake Off contestant Liam Charles

Who has left The Great British Bake Off 2017?

Peter Abatan – left in Week 1

peter-bake-off

Chris Geiger – left in Week 2

Great British Bake Off contestant Chris

Flo Atkins – left in Week 3

Great British Bake Off contestant Flo

Tom Hetherington – left in Week 4

GBBO8 Baker Tom 1401

James Hillery – left in Week 5

James Hillery Bake Off 2017

Julia Chernogorova – left in Week 6

Great British Bake Off contestant Julia

Chuen-Yan – left in Week 7

Yan

Authors

Eleanor Bley GriffithsDrama Editor, RadioTimes.com
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