The Great British Bake Off 's co-judge Paul Hollywood is still "upset and sad" over the recent breakdown of his marriage.
The 47-year-old revealed that his TV stardom had contributed to his split from his wife of 15 years Alexandra.
The Liverpool-born bread expert explained that his 11-year-old son remained his priority during the difficult period.
"I won't comment on my marriage for my son's sake. He became quite ill. I live about a mile from where I used to and love him to pieces. "Paul revealed he 'broke down' after a heart-wrenching conversation with son Joshua. "He was asked to do a show at school about someone famous and phoned me, saying, 'I want to pick you'. I nearly cried. I said, "Josh, 'I'm not famous', and he replied, 'Daddy, you are'.""I broke down. I'm upset and sad about the whole separation.
I've been totally honest with those in the know. Everyone else? That's their problem, I don't care. "Referring to his relatively new found fame, he admitted that it may have caused problems. "Maybe fame has caused a problem, but it's not fame as such. To nail it to that would be foolhardy," he said in a Radio Times interview "It's the perfect storm, a blend of everything. One in two marriages fail. "I thought I'd spend my life making baguettes, muffins, croissants. I might have been happier if I had.
"Speaking ahead of the fourth series of the hit baking show, he said, "I didn't think Bake Off would be like this, although you have to be an egomaniac to do it. "Anyone who says they're not is kidding themselves. You couldn't put yourself in front of a camera otherwise. "As for Kent-based Paul's plans for the future, he revealed that he yearns for a simple life.
"One day I’ll disappear and hide in a corner of Britain," he said. "I'll own a bakery in a village, live above it, have a big garden because I like mowing. "I want to get up when I feel like it, let people queue for my products and when they're gone, shut the shop and think about tomorrow. Creating magic – that's my dream. And I'll do it. "The 'George Clooney of baking' left his marital home in May amid rumours he had started dating Mexican pastry chef Marcela Valladolid, his co-star on the American version of BBC2's Bake Off.
Divorced mum-of-one Marcela, the US version of Mary Berry, and Paul are said to have "hit it off from day one" with Tequila brand owner Marcella describing him as a "handsome devil".After coming back to the UK, Alexandra said the dynamics of their marriage had changed. "I feel utterly bewildered and incredibly sad. Paul went to America and when he came back everything was different, everything had changed," revealed Alexandra.
"I'm distraught, completely devastated, but I don’t want or need revenge," added Alexandra. "I just want us both to be able to rebuild our lives for the sake of our son Joshua, because he is the most important person in our lives. "BBC2's Great British Bake Off returns to our screens on 20 August at 8pm.
