Sophie Faldo has "put on a lot of weight" while doing 'Great British Bake Off'.
The Great British Bake Off finalists
The 34-year-old former army officer - who is one of the four finalists fighting to be crowned the champion of the competition - has admitted she piled on the pounds while practicing for the baking competition because she was one of the least experienced.
Speaking to the Radio Times magazine, she said: "I put on a lot of weight and I'm only just getting back into training to get back down to my race weight for next year's season of track bike racing. When I injured my back rowing, I switched to cycling - I actually missed the national championship this year because of 'Bake Off', but the year before I was the national champion for individual pursuit for my age range."
The brunette beauty only started baking "a few years ago" and didn't have much time to practice her kitchen technique before she went on the show because she was working as a ski instructor in the Alps when she found out she had made through to the series.
She explained: "I only started baking a few years ago. I started rowing at Sandhurst and then went into it full-time. But there isn't much money in it, so I started baking my friends cakes for their birthdays. I don't have a ravenous family, so I don't bake often."
However, Sophie believes her military career helped her when it came to dealing with the pressure in the tent and is convinced the only difference is that no one died.
She added: "It helped a lot. The skills required to work through a high-pressure situation are exactly the same. The only difference is no one will die if you muck up your cake... unless you muck it up really badly."
Sophie will go head-to-head with Stacey Hart, Kate Lyon and Steven Carter-Bailey in the baking competition's finale.