Prue Leith made a special appearance on Good Morning Britain this week, along with her daughter, Li-Da Kruger. The pair appeared via video link from their homes to talk about their upcoming documentary, Prue Leith: Journey with my Daughter. In the show, they return to Cambodia in an attempt to help Li-Da trace her roots and learn more about her life before she was adopted by Prue and her late husband Rayne. Li-Da was just one when she was airlifted out of Phnom Penh in Cambodia shortly before the city fell to the genocidal Khmer Rouge. She has spent her adult life trying to reconnect with her Cambodian roots. "Understanding what it means to be Cambodian has been a lifelong challenge," she previously told the Guardian.
WATCH: Prue Leith makes a rare appearance with her daughter on Good Morning Britain
It's not the first time Li-Da has attempted to trace her birth mother; she travelled to Cambodia at the age of 27, but felt compelled to give it another go after going through the process of adopting a two-year-old son. "I literally had to fill in this form with every address I'd ever lived at and the dates I left and why," Li-Da explained. "And I suddenly realised that, actually, all those details really matter to me. They've always mattered. I wanted to be able to fill in the gaps of my own history for my son."
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By her own admission, Prue has struggled at times with Li-Da's decision. While in Cambodia, the pair track down a woman who could be Li-Da's birth mother. "I remember desperately hoping she was Li-Da's mother, because I knew how important it was for Li-Da to find her," Prue admitted. "But part of me thought: 'Oh God, it's not [the woman], she has a whole family. I've had Li-Da for 45 years. Am I prepared for her to focus on the Cambodian side of her family, and see much less of her?'"
Prue Leith with Li-Da, son Danny Kruger and daughter-in-law Emma
Nevertheless, Prue, 80, has always supported her daughter's efforts to find her birth parents. "You said the most amazing thing to me," Li-Da shared, addressing her mother. "Before I first went to Cambodia. You said: 'I support you 100 per cent trying to find your birth parents, but just know that if you never come back, I am so privileged to have spent 27 years of your life with you.'"
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Prue was married to author Rayne from 1974 until his death aged 80 in December 2002. The couple also welcomed a son together, Daniel, who now works as a Conservative MP. Prue has been married to retired clothes designer John Playfair since October 2016.
Prue Leith: Journey with my Daughter is on Tuesday 14 April, 9pm, Channel 4.
