Great British Bake Off star Prue Leith has talked of how her daughter has followed in her footsteps.
Celebrity cook Prue adopted 16-month-old Li-Da from war-torn Cambodia in 1975.
And when Li-Da grew up she took in a boy of the same age – but only after surviving breast cancer.
On Tuesday at 9pm viewers will see Prue, 80, and Li-Da Kruger, 45, travel to Cambodia to explore her roots and heritage in Channel 4’s Prue Leith: Journey with My Daughter.
The experience has further strengthened their bond.
Prue said: “Li-Da has enhanced our life in so many ways.
"She makes us proud. She is the light of my life. I adore her.
"She is the kindest woman you could ever meet.”
Film-maker Li-Da and husband Matt were planning a baby in 2013 but their dreams were put on hold when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Prue said: “It was very scary. But she is very philosophical.
"In a way she made it very easy for us all because she was determinedly cheerful.”
Doctors froze Li-Da’s eggs before treatment but intensive medication prevented her from trying for a child for five years.
When the couple were finally able to have IVF it resulted in a devastating miscarriage.
But all was not lost in April last year when Li-Da adopted a little boy.
Prue had rescued Li-Da from her orphanage after her mother was killed in a rocket attack in 1974 and her soldier father had to flee.
Adoption was not easy for Li-Da, who was twice promised a child then turned down because a “more suitable” family was found based on “ethnic cultural background.”
Prue said: “One time she was too white, and the other time she was too black. It was heart-breaking.”
Prue, who has a biological son, Tory MP Danny Kruger, 45, by late husband Rayne, hopes the documentary will help other Cambodians reconnect with lost relatives.
She has enjoyed a 60-year career but said her heavy workload meant family sometimes suffered.
In 2017 she joined Paul Hollywood, Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding in Bake Off.
She said: “You live with a bit of guilt if you work a lot. I’m not a very good grandma. I don’t think I was a very good mum either.”
Comparing herself to Li-Da’s mother-in-law Anne, Prue jokes: “Her whole life it seems to me is about pleasing her children and her grandchildren. It’s wonderful to watch.
"I don’t even remember their birthdays. My son Daniel has now taken to emailing me three days before one of his children’s birthdays.
“But I will cook for them and they love it when we make stuff.”
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