Welsh baker Beca Lyne-Pirkis was a fan favourite from series four of The Great British Bake Off nearly a decade ago, standing out for baking the Welsh speciality bara brith.
It was an experience that was to change her life forever, and saw her career going in a completely different direction.
"I can't believe I was on the show in 2013, and that it was nine years ago," she admits. "It has been such a whirlwind since then, but I have been lucky to have got so many amazing opportunities out of it."
Before applying for the popular baking show on a whim, Beca had been working long hours in London in the corporate arts sector.
Her eldest daughter Mari was six months old and she was looking for a new challenge, and baking had always been a passion handed down from her mother and grandmother.
"I has seen the show and saw an advert, so applied without actually telling anyone else," she remembers. "I went through various stages and they said they wanted to see me, so that was the point at which I realise it was really happening."
Beca was a bit hit on the show and her Bara Brith, made from her grandmother's recipe book, earned her praise from judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood when she appeared on the show.
After losing out in the semi-finals of Bake Off, which was still on BBC at the time, Beca decided that working with food and baking was the way forwards for her.
The year after being on the show. she launched her own Welsh language cooking show called Becws (Welsh for Bakehouse) on S4C, based on her family's favourite recipes.
In November 2017, Beca published her first recipe book, Bwyd Beca/My Food, sharing a selection of family favourites.
Beca is also a regular chef at the Borough Market demo kitchen in London. She writes for the market’s website as well and contributes recipes.
Before the pandemic hit, she was also a teacher at Seasoned Cookery School in Derbyshire and gave masterclasses to the apprentices at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant in London, and was a advisor on the foods standards board for the Welsh Government.
And now the mum-of-two, who is about to become a trained dietician, is set to be the new food expert on S4C fitness programme FFIT Cymru.
Beca will join psychologist Dr Ioan Rees and personal trainer Rae Carpenter for series five, which begins in April.
Beca takes over from Sioned Quirke, who has been the FFIT Cymru dietician for the last four years.
Having spent the last three years studying nutrition and working on placement with the NHS, Beca will qualify to become a dietician in July.
Beca, who is a keen marathon runner, says: "I love being busy. I am not someone who can sit on the sofa and watch a whole box set. I always have to be busy, and if that means getting up at 5am to get everything fitted in, then that is what I will do.
"My girls are not nine and seven, so we work the day around them and I moved back to Cardiff in 2016, so it is great to have my family around us.
"And I can’t wait to get started on the new. I have watched the series since the start and I know some of the former leaders, and seen the positive impact this series has had on them.
"Food is the main area that I will be able to advise the Leaders on, but I’m also a mum, a wife, I work, and I’m someone who loves exercising and training for different races and challenges.
"We as experts will share our personal experiences to try and guide the leaders. I’m a busy mum and sometimes it’s hard to strike the right balance, but I can prove that by planning and by being organised, there is no reason why you can’t be successful."
For the new series, Beca will create some new recipes for the leaders and viewers will be able to follow them on the FFIT Cymru website, as well as the new Cegin S4C Kitchen website and app.
Beca added: "As someone who is studying to become a dietician and who has a huge interest in nutrition and cooking, the chance to be a part of the team, create recipes and try to inspire the leaders with food, is fantastic.
"Our job is to try and bring back the balance to the leaders’ lives. People know me for my time on Bake Off and I still bake and eat cakes because it’s something I enjoy doing. But cakes are not something you should be afraid of! No one should feel guilty about eating something and not enjoy it, but it’s not something we should be eating all the time either.
"I just want the leaders to understand food a little better and see how your health can improve when you eat better. I also want to inspire people with recipes and new ideas, to bring the excitement back to the kitchen and to eating.
"I have a lot of hard work ahead, and I’ve also got a couple of ideas up my sleeve!"
FFIT Cymru is looking for people from all over Wales, from all backgrounds, to be part of the new series in April. Do you want to get fitter, healthier, happier and lose weight with some expert help? Apply online at www.s4c.cymru/ffitcymru , or for more information, you can contact the production team on ffitcymru@cwmnida.tv .
