Sandi Toksvig on quitting Bake Off: 'I walked away from the biggest pay cheque of my life because I didn't enjoy it'
The broadcaster also revealed which of her on-camera colleagues she has stayed in touch with.
Sandi Toksvig has addressed her decision to leave The Great British Bake Off, describing her time on the show as the "three longest years of my life".
Earlier this year, the broadcaster said she departed the Channel 4 programme when she "stopped having fun", but her latest comments in an interview with The Times suggest that she may never have enjoyed the experience.
"It's not for me," she stated. "I walked away from the biggest pay cheque of my life, but that's fine. I'd never watched it. I still haven't watched it. I didn't understand it. Cakes are readily available in the shops."
Toksvig continued: "I didn't enjoy the process. You stand at the end of a long table for hours when Prue [Leith] and Paul [Hollywood] taste everything and we literally didn't speak or taste anything. I used to say, 'Can we not sit down? I'm not contributing,' but no."
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The newspaper proceeded to ask if she had kept in touch with any on-screen colleagues from Bake Off, to which Toksvig revealed that she and Prue Leith are "joined at the hip".
However, she appears to have drifted from the other two faces of her Bake Off iteration, saying that Paul Hollywood is "so busy" and "impossible to catch", while Toksvig gave a simple "no" when asked about Noel Fielding.
As the final nail in the coffin, the broadcaster said she didn't even enjoy sampling the extravagant bakes dreamt up by the show's contestants, stating instead that her vice is cheese.
Back in January, Toksvig admitted to Radio Times magazine that she had become bored during her time on Bake Off.
She said: "I was literally standing there watching meringues dry and thinking, 'Oh my God, my brain is atrophying.'"
The comments elicited a response from Fielding, who told The Guardian: "Sandi, as we know, is a massive brain. She went to Cambridge, she’s super-smart, she writes, she does politics, she needs to be stimulated.
"She never stays anywhere too long, except QI, which is the perfect show for her."
The Great British Bake Off continues tomorrow, Tuesday 8th October, at 8pm on Channel 4.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.