Paul Hollywood's life off-screen, marriage breakdown and son's wedding snub

Paul Hollywood is back on TV screens in another series of the Great British Bake Off, but what do we know about the star away from the cameras?

Paul Hollywood has established himself as a household name thanks to the Great British Bake Off. He is the longest standing member of the team, having joined when the cooking competition launched on BBC in 2010. The baker started off judging alongside Dame Mary Berry, before she stepped down and Dame Prue Leith replaced her on the panel.

His fellow judge Prue announced her departure from the show earlier this year, with Nigella Lawson stepping in to fill her apron. The pair will be evaluating contestants’ bakes on Tuesday, September 22, when The Great Bake Off returns for their 17th season on Channel 4.

Many of us know Paul thanks to his appearance on the show and his prestigious handshake, but how much do you know about his life off-screen?

From his health issues to marriage breakdown, here is everything you need to know about Paul Hollywood. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter

Paul’s health issues

Paul started his professional journey at his father’s bakery during his teenage years before progressing to head baker positions at various prestigious hotels. In 2008, he developed an almond and roquefort sourdough recipe that was reportedly the most costly bread in Britain.

However, his dough-working capabilities have been affected by a severe bout of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Paul attributes the debilitating condition to his years of demanding manual labour – stretching back to his time as a 17 year old in his father’s bakery.

Speaking on the Graham Norton Show in 2024, Paul revealed: “I’ve got carpal tunnel syndrome in both my wrists, it’s severe. It was diagnosed about four years ago, I went to speak to a consultant about it and he said ‘Listen, you’re going to have to have an operation.’

“I don’t actually bake as much hands-on as I used to. I miss it. But now I’ve sort of stopped baking as much as I used to, it’s actually alleviated a lot of the pain.”

He mentioned that numerous bakers experience the same ailment, including his former Bake Off co-host Mary Berry. Paul said: “I did speak to Mary about it and she goes ‘Oh I had it done'”

Although he had concerns about the procedure, he noted that it had “healed quite nicely.”

Despite his physical health concerns, Paul has also been open about his mental health battle and his OCD.

He confessed to cleaning one of his cherished vehicles, an Aston Martin, every “couple of hours”.

Paul said: “I wonder if I love it a little too much. You look for little nicks and if I see one my heart misses a beat. It (the nick) is just sitting there winding me up-it’s ruining the car. It is OCD. I’m obsessed with my Aston.”

He acknowledged that his OCD typically manifested when he was in the kitchen, stating: “I’ve got it in the bakery and now I’ve got it with the car.”

The baker has also spoken openly about his weight gain, an inevitable consequence for a Bake Off judge. Paul admits that he tends to “put a little weight on” as a result of sampling countless biscuits, cakes and breads.

Nevertheless, with advancing age, Paul finds shedding those additional pounds during breaks increasingly challenging.

He said: “I tend to put a little weight on, but then over the next few months I’ll lose a little bit and end up where I was at the beginning. As I get older, it’s harder to shift weight. I think I need not less food, just more exercise.”

Paul’s marriage breakdown and affair

Despite his public profile, Paul generally prefers to maintain privacy regarding his personal affairs.

His romantic history has occasionally attracted media attention, including his previous marriage to Alexandra Hollywood. The pair met when they both resided and worked in Cyprus in 1996. They later married in 1998 on the island, and soon after had a sone named Josh.

Their relationship ended in 2017, but Paul and Alex first parted ways in 2013 following reports that Paul had conducted an affair with Marcela Valladolid, his co-star on the American Baking Competition.

Speaking to The Mirror several months following his marriage breakdown, Paul described the affair as the “biggest mistake” of his life.

At the time, wife Alex vowed to divorce him, stating there was “no going back”. She shared: “I feel utterly bewildered and incredibly sad. Paul went to America and when he came back everything was different, everything had changed.”

Alex reconciled with him in October that year, but their marriage soon encountered difficulties once more. The couple’s relationship finally ended in November 2017 when they issued a joint statement confirming their separation.

It said: “It is with sadness that we have decided to separate. Our focus continues to be the happiness of our son, and we would ask the press and public to allow us privacy as a family during this very difficult time.”

After his marriage ended, Paul was connected to Candice Brown, who triumphed in Bake Off in 2016. He was photographed seemingly kissing her at the Pride of Britain Awards afterparty.

The images surfaced merely a day after she declared her engagement to long-term partner Liam Macaulay. Both Paul and Candice denied anything had happened, but just three weeks afterwards, Alex and Paul released their separation statement.

Candice’s marriage to Liam also ended, with their split announced in 2020.

After parting from Alex, Paul entered a relationship with Summer Monteys-Fullam. Their romance frequently made headlines due to the nearly 30-year age difference between them.

In February 2019, Paul purchased a £1 million property in Kent to share with Summer. However, the relationship ended just months later, with her departure reportedly following Paul’s request for her to sign an NDA preventing any discussion of their relationship.

Current marriage and son’s wedding snub

Paul is currently married to pub landlady Melissa Spalding. When she first the Bake Off star, Melissa was running the Chequers Inn in Smarden, Kent — a pub owned by her family.

They made their relationship public in 2019 and became engaged in 2022, the pair later wed in 2023 in Cyprus.

The ceremony took place before 75 guests, including former GBBO colleague Prue.

However, reports at the time suggested that Paul’s son Josh was absent from his wedding to Melissa, with sources claiming the TV presenter’s relationship with his son became strained following his divorce from Alex.

Back in 2019, a spokesperson for Paul’s former wife Alex revealed to MailOnline that Josh had neither seen nor spoken to his father since Paul left the family home.

Paul has kept his counsel on the matter, rarely discussing his private life in public, and notably made no announcement regarding either his engagement or marriage to Melissa.