‘Great British Bake Off’ star Sophie Faldo only enjoyed the show once it finished.
The 2017 winner of the Channel 4 baking contest has recalled how it wasn’t until she sat and had champagne with judges Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith and co-host Sandi Toksvig after the competition was out of the way that they had a nice chat "like real human beings", and admitted it was a relief when the competition was done and dusted.
Writing in her RadioTimes.com column, Sophie said: "Steph [Blackwell] said it perfectly – 10 weeks can just be a week too much and you’re so glad when it’s done.
"It’s nice to see everyone, but they’ve been having a great time and you’ve been filming in the tent! It’s not very long until they start filming again and announce the winner, then you’re taken away to film interviews and then it’s over!
"But I do remember Prue [Leith], Paul [Hollywood] and Sandi [Toksvig] bringing over champagne to the finalists and we sat and had a bit of a chat with them.
"That was quite nice, it was the first time we sat and spoke to judges like real human beings. It was the only time I got to enjoy being where I was."
The former British Army officer won the eighth series of the baking competition after it moved from BBC One without judge Mary Berry. The series continued with Prue, Noel Fielding and Sandi alongside Paul.
However, after the show, Sophie admitted she found it difficult to settle back into her normal life as she expected the team to support her with her newfound fame.
She added: "I think people assume because it’s ‘Bake Off’ and the show’s really lovely that it wouldn’t be such an issue.
"The people who run the show and all the production are amazing – but once you finish, that chord does get cut and you are just like everyone else in the entertainment industry, which is frankly ruthless and rather arbitrary and so there’s no forgiveness for the fact you’re a ‘Bake Off’ contestant."
And Sophie’s advice to this year’s winner David Atherton is to "enjoy baking again" and "crack on" with normal life, otherwise you can become overwhelmed by the "expectations" of that you’re are asked to do.
She said: "My advice to David is 100 per cent, go back to your normal life. Just slot back in as if nothing has happened, and then you can just enjoy things when they come along, as there are a few little nice perks, but it’s a tough world out there.
"Go back to your passion for baking again.
"There’s a lot of expectations in what you’re expected to do, but I’d say forget it all, enjoy baking again and just crack on with your life."
GBBO’s Sophie Faldo could only enjoy the show when it was over
