It has been announced that former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Queen of the Jungle Stacey Solomon will no longer be co-hosting the popular television show Bake Off: The Professionals and will be replaced by Ted Lasso and Strictly star Ellie Taylor.
Bake Off: The Professionals sees trained pastry chefs and their team enter the iconic white tent in a bid to become Britain's best patisserie team. Taking to its official Twitter page, the much-loved Channel 4 show Great British Bake Off's professional spin-off announced the news on Friday, May 12, sharing a picture of Ellie surrounded by Liam Charles, who presented it with Stacey, alongside judges Benoit Bline and Cherish Finden.
The exciting news comes shortly after Ellie featured on the Stand Up 2 Cancer spin-off, winning over Bake Off fans everywhere.
Confirming the show would be arriving on our screens on Channel 4 this summer, the British Bake Off wrote: "From Ted Lasso to tiramisu - we’re delighted to welcome @EllieJaneTaylor as our new co-host on Bake Off: The Professionals alongside @LiamcBakes. Pastry chefs beware - judges @BenoitBlin_MCA & @Cherish_Finden are also back for pud! The new series arrives on @Channel4 this summer".
Wishing Ellie good luck, the former The X Factor star confirmed the news in a tweet herself, referencing how she "opted to give birth instead" - Stacey and her husband Joe Swash welcomed a little girl, Belle, earlier this year - the pair's third child together and Stacey's fifth.
Writing on Twitter, Stacey penned: "So excited to watch this! @EllieJaneTaylor @BritishBakeOff it’s going to be amazing! Can’t believe I missed out on chocolate week and opted for giving birth instead."
Following in Stacey's footsteps, Ellie also took to the social media platform to speak of this delicious news. She said: "A joy to co-host Bake Off The Professionals. Such a delicious honour to take the baton from the brilliant @StaceySolomon who was off doing something small like, oh I don’t know BIRTHING NEW LIFE. I had the best time and can now pronounce ‘macaron’ correctly."
This presenter shake up for the Channel 4 series is not its first this year as, in March 2023, it was confirmed that Alison Hammond would be replacing the much loved comedian and actor Matt Lucas on the original baking show, the Great British Bake Off - read more on that here. She will be joining Noel Fielding, who became co-host after Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins left in 2016, this autumn for its 14th series.
Confirming the news herself, Alison wrote: "It's OFFICIAL!!! It's happening The Great British Bake off ! Let's have it! The cake that is."
Matt revealed he would be "passing the baguette" to another in December 2022, citing other work projects. Read more on that here.
Bake Off: The Professionals will be returning to Channel 4 this summer. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.
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