Edinburgh-born medical student Jasmine Mitchell has been named the winner of The Great British Bake Off.
The 23-year-old, who openly shared her journey living with alopecia – the medical term for hair loss – since age 12 and her decision not to wear a wig, triumphed in the Channel 4 competition. She beat fellow finalists Tom Arden and Aaron Mountford-Myles in Tuesday night's series 16 finale.
She said: “I hope that in winning Bake Off I have made my friends, family and Scotland proud. I miss being in Scotland a lot, I grew up in Edinburgh and it’s a big part of my heritage. I feel like the more time I spend in London, the more I long to be in the Scottish Highlands!
“If I had told myself three years ago that I would be going about my life without wearing a wig, with no hair, I would have laughed and said, ‘don’t be ridiculous’. I could never have imagined being on the Bake Off, let alone doing it with no hair.
“Life with alopecia has definitely been challenging at times. I am still very much in the process of learning to love it. But I am getting to the point where more days than not I am actually really enjoying looking a bit different.
“Having alopecia has (and is) changing my perception of what beauty is. Being authentically yourself, the way you were made to be, is so much more beautiful than trying to look like everyone else around you.”
According to Alopecia UK, there are many different types of alopecia and various medical conditions that causes hair loss.
One condition is known as alopecia areata which is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system attacks the hair follicles – causing the hair to fall out.
Tuesday night saw the three finalists faced with the challenge of making a classic British iced finger bun before baking a tower of French delights in the technical.
The three were then tasked with making the largest cake in Bake Off history with Jasmine creating what she described as a “ridiculously long cake” at 1.2m in just four hours and 30 minutes.
She said: “When it was announced that I won, Aaron instantly picked me up and spun me around. My friends and family then ran over and completely surrounded me.
“This felt like such a testament to my whole Bake Off journey. I feel very blessed to have been encouraged, held and supported by so many people throughout the competition, without whom I could never have got to where I did.
“I am so grateful for everyone around me who carried me through the process especially my boyfriend Theo, my housemates, my family and everyone at our church who unknowingly ate my practice bakes.
“I have a lot of love and admiration for my fellow finalists, Tom and Aaron. I don’t think I would have been able to do it without them being alongside me in the tent.
“They made the final almost manageable. I am still in awe of their knowledge and skill. They inspired me the whole way through and they definitely brought out the best in me. I was gutted that Toby (Littlewood) wasn’t alongside us for the final three bakes in the tent – he was brilliant, and I have a lot of time for him!”
Over the course of the series, Jasmine received two Hollywood Handshakes and became only the second in Bake Off history to score five Star Baker wins.
Speaking about her favourite moment on the show, Jasmine added: “Dancing with Alison (Hammond) in the rain crying with relief after finishing one of the most intense weeks of my life: two massive Medicine exams and week 8 of the Bake Off.
“I had so many good moments with Noel where I was laughing so much my stomach hurt. Some highlights were juggling with limes, making owl noises at each other, and generally chatting a lot of absolute rubbish together.
“My worst moment in the tent was taking my meringue scallop shell out of the oven and hearing it go ‘Crack Crack Crack’ and seeing the crack lines develop after three and a half hours of baking.”
Previous winners include paediatric nurse Georgie, who became the first contestant from Wales to win The Great British Bake Off in 2024.
Jasmine will join Jo Brand and Tom Allen and all the other bakers on The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice on Friday November 7 at 8pm on Channel 4.
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