Sandi Toksvig has revealed why she walked away from the ‘biggest payday of her life’ as presenter of The Great British Bake Off.
The TV star, 66, co-hosted the show from 2017 to 2020, where she presented alongside comedian Noel Fielding.
In 2020, she resigned and was replaced by comedian Matt Lucas. Matt has since been replaced by This Morning’s Alison Hammond.
Now she has told how they were “the longest three years of her life” and that her wife, psychotherapist Debbie, finally convinced her to leave him because she “wasn’t happy.”
Sandi has also let slip who she’s still in touch with since the show, saying she’s joined at the hip with judge Prue Leith but “not so much” with Paul Hollywood as he’s so busy.
Sandi Toksvig has revealed why she walked away from the ‘biggest paycheck of her life’ hosting The Great British Bake Off
The TV star, 66, co-hosted the show from 2017 to 2020, where she presented alongside comedian Noel Fielding (seen with judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood).
When asked if she was still friends with her former co-host Noel, she simply said The times: ‘No’.
She told the publication why she quit: ‘It’s not for me. I walked away from the biggest paycheck of my life, but that’s okay. I had never seen it. I haven’t seen it yet. I didn’t understand it.
‘Pastries are easily available in stores. I didn’t enjoy the process. There was some showbiz stuff you did with Bake Off, it was a big show that got a lot of attention.
“But my wife Deb said, ‘It doesn’t make you happy.'”
It comes after ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus tied the knot for the third time, marrying his partner of two years earlier this month and with Sandi officiating the ceremony.
The Swedish singer, 79, married his Danish partner Christina Sas, 51, in Copenhagen, in the presence of family and close friends.
On Instagram, Björn revealed his happy news by sharing a series of photos from the “extra special” day in which Christina wore a stunning khaki dress.
The message on his Instagram read: “Today, September 21, 2024, Björn Ulvaeus married Christina Sas from Herning, Denmark.
When asked if she was still friends with her former co-presenter Noel, she simply told The Times: “No” (seen together)
She has now told how it felt like “the longest three years of her life” and that her psychotherapist wife, Debbie, finally convinced her to quit because she was unhappy (seen with Debbie).
She told the publication why she quit: ‘It’s not for me. I walked away from the biggest paycheck of my life, but that’s okay. I had never seen it. I haven’t seen it yet. I didn’t understand it’
‘They met in Nuremberg in 2021 in connection with the release of ABBA’s latest album, Voyage, and began dating in spring 2022.
‘The wedding took place in Copenhagen in the presence of family and close friends.
“Sandi Toksvig, Anne Linnet and Kaya Brüel acted generously and made the evening very special.”
For the ceremony, presenter Sandi, 66, who has been friends with Björn after the couple collaborated on Mamma Mia: The Party! In 2018 together, they opted for red clerical robes.
During their first public appearance together in June 2022, Björn and Christina told reporters: ‘We’ve been dating for a while and I felt like I wanted to take her to this event. So this is the first time we’re hanging out together.
The couple met when Christina was working for ABBA’s Universal label in Germany, which released their 2021 album Voyage.
The following year, he announced that his 41-year marriage to his second wife, music journalist Lena Kallersjo, 75, had ended.
In February 2022, Björn and Lena, who share two daughters Emma, 42, and Anna, 38, issued a joint statement confirming their separation and agreed to jointly share their £100 million assets equally.
He added: ‘I didn’t enjoy the process. There was some showbiz stuff you did with Bake Off, it was a big show that got a lot of attention. But my wife Deb said, “It doesn’t make you happy.”