Great British Bake Off winner Syabira Yusoff has revealed there is a softer side to judge Paul Hollywood rarely seen on screen.
Speaking to Metro at the British Heart Foundation's Heart Hero Awards, Syabira said that Paul is the "complete opposite" to how he is portrayed on TV.
"Before going on the show I thought his stare was really scary but the further I got into the competition, the more I saw that he was actually really caring," she said.
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"It's the complete opposite of what he is portrayed as on TV so I'm really grateful to have met him and to have been judged by him. It’s been amazing!"
Syabira was crowned winner of the 2022 season of Bake Off, beating fellow finalists Sandro and Abdul to first place.
However, this year's Bake Off also attracted significant criticism, with many feeling the final tasks were too complex for the allotted time.
Last year's winner Giuseppe Dell'Anno agreed with fan comments, saying the finale didn't allow the finalists to showcase their skills in the best way.
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"The last episode of the season felt like an odd final for an odd series," he told Radio Times. "The Technical had a bit of trap with the vegetable gelatine, that, if you had never used before, like Sandro hadn’t, you wouldn’t have known how to use.
"I would have failed the Technical completely as I had no idea up to last night that you had to boil veggie gelatine to make it work – that little detail felt a bit like a sneaky trap for the bakers, so not exactly pleasant to watch."
The Great British Bake Off airs on Channel 4 in the UK. In the US, it's known as The Great British Baking Show, and streams on Netflix.
