Paul Hollywood says he must have developed ‘thick skin’ and calls fame ‘terrible’

Paul Hollywood has said he’s not a fan of the fame gained while working on the Great British Bake Off but admits he hopes the show will last for many more years.

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The Great Celebrity Bake Off: Paul helps Matt knead the dough

Paul Hollywood has been open about his life in the limelight, saying that being famous is “terrible”.

The Great British Bake Off judge, 56, caught the attention of the public more than a decade ago when he took part in an amateur baking show in 2010.

And when asked if he feels being famous is a positive experience, he honestly said “no, that’s horrible”.

Talk to Radio Times“I’ve always struggled against the word ‘celebrity’,” says Paul. “Until I turned 40, there was no way I thought I’d be on television.”

He described GBBO as never being part of his plans but he had to adapt to his life because of it.

He continued: “There’s no school to learn how to deal with the press, or your day-to-day life, and how to stop it without becoming frantic and annoyed. You can’t. “

And he confessed that he now has skin like a crocodile after learning that he had to grow very thick skin in the industry.

The celebrity cooking competition originally aired on BBC Two and has continued on the channel for four series.

As its popularity grew, BBC became more and more popular, it turned to BBC One for the following three series.

The show was later moved to Channel 4 in 2017 and, despite the departure of original judge Mary Berry, Paul continued his role on the show.

He is joined by chef and restaurateur Prue Leith, who replaces Mary as judge.

Despite the hardships following the show’s notoriety, Paul insists he remains optimistic about its future and that there is no doubt it will continue to be popular.

He considers the judges to be the “framework” of the performance and the bakers to be the “picture”.

“People love to hear what we have to say about them, but the bakers and their cakes are always at the center,” he added.

He also admitted that he hopes it continues to grace the small screen for years to come, even after he hangs up his star baker’s apron.

He confessed that despite taking on hundreds of challenges over the past 13 years, the series was far from selling.

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