Dame Prue Leith is "really sad" Matt Lucas quit 'The Great British Bake Off'.
Dame Prue Leith is gutted Matt Lucas has quit
The 82-year-old star - who serves as a judge alongside Paul Hollywood on the Channel 4 baking competition - admitted she "understands" his decision to step back and focus on other projects, but she's still disappointed.
Appearing on BBC's The One Show', she said: "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."
She pointed out that trying to focus on commitments like that is too difficult when you're tied down to 'Bake Off'.
She explained: "And 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."
Her comments come after the 'Little Britain' star revealed earlier this month he is leaving the series after three years alongside co-host Noel, noting he couldn't keep up with other projects while also fronting both 'Bake Off' and 'Fantasy Football League'.
He said in a statement: "Farewell Bake Off! It's been a delicious experience and I can't imagine a more fun way of spending my summers. But it's become clear to me that I can't present both 'Fantasy Football League' and 'Bake Off' alongside all my other projects.
"So, after three series and 51 episodes, I am cheerfully passing the baguette on to someone else.
"I would like to give my warmest thanks and gratitude to everyone at Love Productions and Channel 4 and to Noelipops, Paul Hollywood, Dame Prue Leith, the crew and, of course, the wonderful bakers for welcoming me into the tent.
"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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