Nigella Lawson to replace Prue Leith on ‘The Great British Baking Show’

By Jack Guy, CNN

London (CNN) — Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson is to join “The Great British Baking Show” as a judge, replacing the departing Prue Leith.

The move was announced Monday in a statement from Channel 4, which airs the TV baking competition in the United Kingdom.

It said it was “delighted to announce” Lawson’s arrival on the show, which is known as “The Great British Bake Off” in the UK.

“Nigella’s expertise, empathy and humour are the perfect ingredients for the Bake Off tent,” the statement reads.

Lawson said in the same statement that she is “bubbling with excitement” to take up the role, while acknowledging that it is “daunting to be following in the footsteps of Prue Leith and Mary Berry before her, great dames both.”

“The Great British Bake Off is more than a television programme, it’s a National Treasure – and it’s a huge honour to be entrusted with it,” she added.

Leith said she is “thrilled” that Lawson will take over her role as a judge.

“She’s sassy, fun and she knows her onions — and her croissants, cake and crumble,” she said in the statement.

Lawson, age 66, is herself something of a national treasure in the UK, where she is known to many simply as “Nigella” and credited with bringing new audiences to the world of cooking shows thanks to her flirtatious manner.

Born in London, she is the daughter of former Chancellor of the Exchequer — or finance minister — Nigel Lawson.

After studying at Oxford University, she began her career in publishing before moving into media, writing restaurant columns.

Lawson went on to contribute to various UK newspapers before writing books.

In 1998, she brought out “How to Eat,” in which she described how food was one of her earliest loves.

Lawson went on to release a string of other successful cookbooks as well as to host numerous cooking shows, such as “Nigella Bites.” She was also a judge on the ABC show “The Taste.”

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Marie-Louise Gumuchian contributed to this report.