Prue Leith has admitted she was a “bad mother” because of her focus on her career.
The Great British Bake Off judge, 78, says she did not spend enough time with son Danny and daughter Li-Da when they were growing up.
And she reckons she could do better with her grandkids – who she dotes on.
Prue said: “I was a bad mother and I’m a bad grandmother, in the sense of time spent with them.
“But I adore my grandchildren. I’m quite tough with them. They come down weekends and holidays and stuff. They all know Nana won’t have toys in her side of the house because we used to let the children go romping everywhere and there was a sea of plastic crap all over the floor.”
Prue had Danny – a speechwriter for former PM David Cameron – with first husband Rayne Kruge, who was 20 years her senior.They also adopted filmmaker daughter Li-Da from Cambodia.
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While Prue may not rate her parenting, she remains close to both her kids, who are now in their 40s.
And she has said adopting Li-Da, orphaned at 16 months by the Khmer Rouge regime, as the best decision she ever made.
Li-Da recently made documentary Belongong about efforts to tried to find out more about her biological parents. The experience moved her so much she now wants to adopt a child.
Rayne died in 2002 and Prue married John Playfair three years ago. But she says she still misses Rayne, despite their relationship being fiery.
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She said: “My first husband was much older and so philosophical. If things went wrong, he’d be not worried. I remember once having a huge quarrel at breakfast.
“I rushed out, jumped in the car and drove away. Rayne’s attitude was, ‘It’ll be alright, she’ll come back’. And, of course, I was back in 10 minutes.”
- Prue’s novel The Lost Son, the third and final book in her Angelotti Chronicles series, is published by Quercus in hardback on Thursday.
