Prue Leith has admitted that she feels she was not a “good mum” as she put her career ahead of her children.
The Great British Bake Off star, 80, says her son and daughter were “packed off to boarding school” at age 12.
And she feels the way she raised them would be “not acceptable today”.
Prue, whose children Daniel and Li-Di are now in their 40s, said: “I’m not a very good grandma but then I don’t think I was a very good mum either.
“I must’ve done something right because the children are happy and we’re a very close family, but I did work a lot.
“I think women, especially in the hard days, they have such guilt complexes about the amount that they work. I didn’t think, I’m neglecting them, I just thought, I’ve got to work and they’ve got to go to school.”
South African cook Prue and late husband Rayne Kruger, who died in 2002, had Danny in 1974 and adopted Li-Di a year later.
In 2016, she married John Playfair. When the children were young, Prue trained chefs at Leith’s School of Food and Wine, as well as appearing on TV and writing books.
Prue’s confession comes after she revealed she’s finally set to move in with her husband John Playfair after 9 years together.
Prue has never lived with husband John before, despite them being married for almost four years.
Speaking to the Telegraph, the much-loved telly star said that her independence is of the utmost importance to her.
Prue admitted that her busy schedule has kept her from finally making the decision to move in with her other half.
The star, who has just released her new book The Vegetarian Kitchen, has been rather occupied, but is now ready to finally live with John in their newly built home.
Prue tied the knot with John in 2016 after five years together, and the star said that she's never been happier since becoming a wife again, despite the couple previously vowing they were happy remaining just partners.
*Full interview is on the Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast, out now
