Strictly Come Dancing star John Whaite has opened up about winning the third series of The Great British Bake Off in 2012. The now 33-year-old, who was brought to the public's attention during his time on the baking show, has said the show "derailed" his life and pushed him towards alcohol.
Whilst on GBBO, John beat off competition from finalists Brendan Lynch and James Morton. Since taking part, he has continued to feature on TV and was a runner-up on Strictly Come Dancing last year with professional dancer Johannes Radebe.
In an interview with the Telegraph, John shared his regrets about appearing on GBBO. He said: "Some days I'd wish I had never been on the show, because in reality, it totally derailed me from a steady life path. I drank more than I should have and posted unwisely on Instagram and Twitter. If I knew then what I knew now, would I do it all again? Absolutely. But I'd approach it so differently."
Read more: The Great British Bake Off: Who is Chloë Avery?
The Strictly 2021 star added that as GBBO has grown in success, his own TV work has dried up. In the interview with the publication, he also revealed how, if Love Productions (the company behind GBBO) had offered emotional support, he probably wouldn't have accepted their advice. "I don't think it would have made an ounce of difference even if they had [offered advice]," he said. "Addiction to the razzle dazzle came naturally to the youthful me." John's love of 'razzle dazzle' was proven when he appeared on Strictly Come Dancing last year.
The Great British Bake Off returned to screens earlier this week. As ever, viewers had something to say about the series' return. Host Matt Lucas attracted significant attention during the first episode of the new series because of his weight loss. You can read more about that here.
The Great British Bake Off continues on Tuesday, September 20 on Channel 4 at 8pm. You can get more celebrity news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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