The Great British Bake Off is on the lookout for a new presenter after Matt Lucas announced that he was stepping down from the hugely popular Channel 4 show - and judge Prue Leith has opened up about why she thinks he has called it a day on the programme.
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Chatting on The One Show, the celebrity chef spoke about his exit, explaining: "I'm really sad because I love the guy. He's such fun and he got on so well with Noel [Fielding]. They were just brilliant. But I do understand why. If [you're] close to Matt, you do know that he never stops working and he has so many projects and people keep asking him to do things and he loves theatre... he absolutely loves that kind of show."
WATCH: Matt Lucas first joined the show in 2020
She continued: "You can't commit to it if you're on Bake Off, because we film that all summer. So I think he thought three years is enough. But I think he loved it and we're really sorry."
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Noel Fielding posted about Matt's exit, writing: "So sad that @realmattlucas is leaving the show! Farewell buddy thank you for three amazing years. I will really miss your spark and huge smile in the tent and I will miss your kindness as a person and to all the bakers.
Noel also posted a sweet message to Matt
"I will miss your sense of the absurd and your silliness. I will miss all the times the four of us giggled together. I will miss your ability to turn into a fully formed character at the drop of a hat. I will miss you pretending to be Boris Johnson singing David Bowie songs and I will miss your upbeat nature and positive vibes."
While it is not yet known who will take Matt's place on the programme, the 48-year-old said of his successor: "I wish whoever takes over the very best and I can’t wait to tune into the next series without already knowing who won!"
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