Dame Prue Leith quickly became a fan favourite judge on The Great British Bake Off, not only for her quick wit but also for her bold fashion. This penchant for colour translated into her home in the Cotswolds, which she shares with her husband, John Playfair.
While she has previously opened up about her love of the Oxfordshire countryside, the Prue Leith Cotswold Kitchen star has clarified that it wasn't always a "posh" neighbourhood attracting the rich and famous.
In a new interview with Best Quality Designer Handbag , Prue explained: "We live a stone's throw from Soho House, a stone's throw from [Jeremy Clarkson's] Diddly Squat Farm, a stone's throw from Daylesford. So all the posh shows go all around us, but we were there long before anybody.
"You know, when my first husband [Rayne Kruger] and I bought our house, the cost was the cheapest place within reach of London to be because it was really cheap because the land is terrible."
Far from "terrible" today, Prue now counts David and Victoria Beckham, Jeremy Clarkson, Simon Cowell, and even reportedly Beyonce and Jay-Z among her neighbours. While she keeps to herself, she praised the injection of money the celebrity haunt has brought to the area.
"I think all those VIPs have been good for the Cotswolds because they're very good for the producers and the small farms who do really specialist things like, you know, the honey or, lavender," she mused, adding: "Because they're people with money, a lot of these little, companies that make fudge or something wonderful survived because there are people now who buy all that stuff."
Building her dream home
© InstagramPrue knocked down the former farmhouse that was situated on the land and built a brand-new two-bedroom home filled with colour that suited her lifestyle.
The 84-year-old said her bold property decision in the coronavirus lockdown in 2020 "amazed" a lot of people. "They said most people when they downsize from a big house, which we were selling our big house, you know, they go into a retirement home because the last thing they want to do is build a new house and think about the design of that. But we found it such a joy."
Inside, the house now features a yellow kitchen, a red "banishment room" for her husband, and a colourful library, which she said initially "horrified" her friends.
© InstagramSpeaking her beamed library with burnt orange walls and clashing printed rugs, Prue exclusively told Best Quality Designer Handbag in 2022: "Red and green go beautifully together – one of the classic colours. It used to be a barn before we knocked it down and started again.
"It looked quite scary, so bright red – fire raging red was the colour and all our friends were horrified and would say things like, 'I bet you'll be changing this colour before too long.' Of course, as soon as it's covered in books and pictures, red is a great colour to show off paintings."
Sleeping arrangements
© WireImageWhile Prue and John have traditional sleeping arrangements, sharing the master bedroom, the former TV star – who stepped down from her judging role on Channel 4's baking show in January – confessed they do have a backup plan for when they're craving their own space.
"We sleep in my big bedroom, but there's a slightly smaller room next to it with its own bathroom. He calls his banishment room, so if we are sick or furious with one another, we can at least have our own space," she told The Times in 2021.
"When he chose the colours for his room, I went, 'Oh God, that's awful.' It was maroony red, with skirting boards of brighter red, and I thought this will never ever work — and it looks absolutely wonderful. If we were on different pages, about colour, I would normally give in, and his ideas would work."
