Queen of flavour Laura Adlington, a digital manager from Kent, won the hearts of The Great British Bake Off fans when she made it to the final despite a number of melting, messy bakes – and having the untidiest workbench the series has ever seen.
You seemed to spend a lot of your time on Bake Off crying with your head in the freezer…
[Laughs] It’s the perfect 2020 image, I think. It sums up this year. Being away from home for that long, working in a heatwave and under pressure, I was just exhausted. The semi and the final were just a step too far. I can laugh it about it now but at the time, I was mortified.
How did you keep your participation in the show secret?
It was hard. All my girl mates were worried because I’d gone quiet in the WhatsApp group. The neighbours thought me and my husband had split up and I’d moved out.
When you made it into the final at the expense of Hermine, there was an online backlash. Was that hurtful?
It was a horrible few days but I called it out and loads of people had my back. I was bullied as a kid and wish I’d stood up for myself more. I just thought: “I’m 31 now and won’t be worn down by keyboard warriors.” Trolling happens all the time – people are slating the Strictly girls now – and it’s not acceptable. Bake Off is such a kind, wholesome show. I didn’t hurt anyone. I don’t make the decisions. But there’s loads more love out there than hate, so I try not to focus on the negative.
Paul Hollywood leapt to your support. That must have felt good
That surprised me because I don’t think he’s done that before. He really went up in my estimations. Paul gets called Mr Nasty but he’s a softie at heart. Lots of people became Team Laura and I can’t tell you how much that meant. I had so many lovely messages. Some said it’s great to see someone like me on TV. Whether it’s because I’m plus-size, messy or dyspraxic, people seemed to relate to me.
Didn’t you get a message from actor Emilia Clarke too?
I couldn’t believe she even knew I existed but she wrote the loveliest note. She called me a “motherfucking baking queen”. I love Game of Thrones, so I was crying happy tears.
You formed a sweet friendship with co-host Matt Lucas.
They say never meet your heroes but he was so kind and down-to-earth. In week one, when I was having a nightmare with my Freddie Mercury cake bust, he kept trying to help. It was Matt’s first episode too and in the end, the producers had to step in and tell him that helping me wasn’t allowed. The Freddie cake became quite a meme. I like to think Freddie himself would see the funny side.
Are you still in touch with your fellow bakers?
We all speak daily on the WhatsApp group. I grew especially close to Lottie and Sura. Dave [Friday, fellow finalist] just proposed to his partner Stacey and he’s got his heart set on the other 11 bakers making a tier of the wedding cake each.
Are you proud that Bake Off provided comfort viewing in this weird year?
Very. Even Emilia Clarke said: “Thank you for bringing light to our lockdown.” I feel honoured that we brought a bit of joy this year – even if the laughs were often at my expense!
What’s next for you?
Exciting opportunities have opened up, so who knows where it will go? It would be great to share my passion for baking, as well as mental health and body positivity. I still volunteer for the Samaritans and will be working with them on something in January. I feel incredibly blessed. Bake Off was a rollercoaster but I have no regrets.
