Truth behind Sandi Toksvig's Great British Bake Off Exit revealed - and it's bad news for her former Channel 4 co-stars
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The truth behind Sandi Toksvig's Great British Bake Off exit has finally been revealed - and it's bad news for her former Channel 4 co-stars.
She may have served up slices of charm alongside Noel Fielding in the Bake Off tent, but Sandi Toksvig has now admitted that the experience left her deeply underwhelmed.
In a candid confession, the former host revealed that the beloved baking series was not quite her cup of tea, describing her three-year stint on the show as 'boring' and 'unhappy' - despite it being the most lucrative job of her career.
'I make no bones about the fact I did not enjoy it,' she said. 'I walked away from the biggest pay cheque of my life, but that's fine.'
The 67-year-old star, who stepped down from Bake Off in 2020, even confessed that she'd never watched the show before joining - and still hasn't watched it since.
'I didn't understand it. Cakes are readily available in the shops,' she quipped.
The truth behind Sandi Toksvig's Great British Bake Off exit has finally been revealed - and it's bad news for her former Channel 4 co-stars
Sandi Toksvig (pictured) has now admitted that the experience left her deeply underwhelmed
Despite appearing to share a warm on-screen rapport with co-host Noel Fielding, the QI presenter now says she felt her brain was 'atrophying' while filming and branded her time on the series as the 'three longest years of my life'.
'I mean, no disrespect to people, but watching meringue dry and being told how many different kinds there are, I honestly thought I was going out of my mind,' she added.
At the time of her departure, Toksvig gave a more diplomatic line, saying: 'When stepping down from a job, it is quite common for people to say they are doing so in order to spend more time with their family.
'Unusually, I am departing from The Great British Bake Off so I can spend more time with my other work.'
Sandi is now returning to Channel 4 with not one but two new travel series.
The first is Sandi Toksvig's Great Riviera Rail Trip, a glamorous four-parter that sees the broadcaster journey through one of the most exclusive stretches of European coastline - exploring A-list haunts favoured by Elton John and Brad Pitt.
Taking in glittering stops like Monaco, Nice, Cannes and Saint-Tropez, Sandi rides the rails through super yacht territory and casino capitals, with the series promising plenty of royal gossip.
Produced by Cornelia Street Productions - the team behind Julia Bradbury's Irish Journey - the series is said to be brimming with Toksvig's 'signature wit'.
In a candid confession, the former host revealed that the beloved baking series was not quite her cup of tea
The QI presenter now says she felt her brain was 'atrophying' while filming and branded her time on the series as the 'three longest years of my life'
She'll also front Sandi's Hidden Wonders, a new commission from Salamanda Media, which follows on from her much-loved Extraordinary Escapes and offers some of the world's most intriguing undiscovered corners.
One insider revealed: 'Sandi may not have felt she was intellectually challenged enough on Bake Off, but her new shows are full of adventure so there's no room, or time, for boredom. Far from it! This is Sandi at her warm and witty best.'
And while her Bake Off ties may be largely in the past, she hasn't severed every connection - Sandi says the only person she remains close to from the tent is judge Prue Leith, whom she describes as being 'joined at the hip' with.
The presenter, who has made a full recovery after a frightening bout of bronchial pneumonia during a tour of Australia two years ago, an illness so serious she 'thought she was dying,' seems to be back on fine form.
