Sandi Toksvig makes big revelation about The Great British Bake Off contestants

The Great British Bake Off has barely been out of the news since the new series started on Channel 4 for the first time, and now co-host Sandi Toksvig has shocked viewers by revealing that contestants get extra time if they’re struggling!

Speaking to The Mirror Sandi said, “There have been odd times where we have slowed down the final 10-second countdown as we can see they’ve got one quick thing left to do.”

However Channel 4 have insisted that despite possibly getting a bit of extra time no contestants are at a disadvantage saying, “Any slowing of the countdown is a matter of mere seconds and gives all the bakers the same amount of time.”

In this week’s show Sandi’s co-host Noel Fielding caused a stir by hiding in a fridge and Julia Chernogorova’s bread sculpture of a snail under a toadstool, had the judges and hosts in stitches as it looked a bit naughty!

We also saw the show's oldest ever contestant, Flo Atkins, become the third person to leave the show. Talking about her experience on the show she told The Mirror, “Paul and I had a great rapport, I loved him. You can throw anything at me, but beware as a Scouser I can come back with something worse, and Paul knew that.

“The best moment for me has to be when Paul cut into my watermelon cake. I wanted to see inside it as much as the judges did, to see if it had baked through properly, and thank goodness it had. I did practise it twice at home so I must admit I wasn’t fazed by making it in the tent.”

Sadly Flo’s husband died two years ago, but she said The Great British Bake Off had helped her have a positive outlook on life saying,

“I feel since Bake Off I have blossomed, and it has given me the strength to carry on, Bake Off has made me a stronger person. When Richard died I felt that half of me had gone, I had lost my soul mate, but now I feel I have my confidence back."

Earlier this month we caught up with former judge on The Great British Bake Off, Mary Berry at the 2017 TV Choice Awards, as she was due to collect the award for the Most Outstanding Contribution to TV. Speaking to us on the red carpet Mary told us what she thought of the new series now that it was on Channel 4.

She described it as a "wonderful format" going on to explain that Prue Leith would have been her first choice to take her place in the series, which is now into its eighth year.

Watch Mary Berry's acceptance speech below:

Mary had previously been a judge on The Great British Bake Off since it started in 2010 until last year.

The Great British Bake Off continues on Channel 4 on Tuesdays at 8pm.

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