It was a visit worthy of a Paul Hollywood handshake.
Earlier this year, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds sent Great British Bake Off fans into a frenzy after they shared snaps with judges Prue Leith and Paul from the set of the beloved competition series back in June. Now, Prue is giving insight into the Gossip Girl alum and Deadpool actor's visit to the famed white tent. As it turns out, it was the luck of filming at nearby locations that brought them together.
"Blake is absolutely nuts about—well they both are, they're both very keen on Bake Off," the restauranteur told E! News' Francesca Amiker. "They heard we were filming in the same studio lot as Ryan was, he was making Deadpool, and so they both just turned up."
But as it turns out, Ryan and Blake were the exception to a rule—usually not just anyone can waltz their way onto the set.
"Everybody keeps everybody out of the tent, you know," Prue explained. "No strangers are allowed in the tent, absolutely, rule number one. I mean if my husband walked in without having cleared it all first he'd be just shown the door. But I'll tell you what, when those two walked in, every cameraman, everybody, just stood there. And of course we were absolutely thrilled to see them. All filming stopped while we all chatted to them."
And per the 83-year-old, it would seem that the perfect recipe for striking up a friendship with the stars requires only one ingredient—time.
She continued, "Because we were there at the same time as they were, you know weeks on end, we got really friendly. So they came in a lot."
So friendly in fact, that Prue's counterpart was even asked to be in a commercial for Blake's new liquor line, Betty Booze, alongside the A Simple Favor actress—much to Prue's chagrin.
"I was rather disappointed because I thought, you know, I'd do anything to do a commercial with Ryan," she quipped. "And [Paul] managed to do a commercial with Blake."
For now, Prue will have to find comfort in her on-set memories with the Free Guy actor—memories Paul was sure to immortalize on social media at the time, while simultaneously poking fun at his co-judge.
"Sorry Prue, Blake has taken your seat…" the celebrity chef captioned a photo with the Age of Adaline actress at the judging table in June. "Welcome to cake corner Blake."
For his part, Ryan also shared an image alongside the judging duo, captioning his photo, "A full and unconditional hug of pure serotonin."
And to see where some of your favorite Bake Off winners are these days, keep reading.
Season 1: Edd Kimber
Some fans might not be familiar with the show's first-ever champion Edd Kimber, as season one of The Great British Baking Show never aired in the U.S. or streamed on Netflix. But the baker has been up to a lot since his time on the show in 2010, having written for several publications, appeared on numerous TV shows and published six cookbooks.
Season 2: Jo Wheatley
Like with season one, season two of the series also never aired in the U.S. or on Netflix. In addition to publishing a cookbook, the show's second champion Jo Wheatley continues to share her latest recipes with fans on her successful food blog, Jo's Blue AGA.
Season 3: John Whaite
After besting his fellow bakers in 2012, John Whaite published a number of cookbooks, received his pastry certificate from Le Cordon Bleu London in 2018 and ran his own cookery school until 2021—when he also finished second on the U.K.'s Strictly Come Dancing. He regularly appeared on Channel 4's Steph's Packed Lunch until it was canceled in 2023.
John has since started Ruff Puff Bakehouse and Ruff Puff Brownies with husband Paul Atkins.
"They’ve reminded me of a talent I’d neglected," he wrote on Instagram in September 2025, per the Independent, "and given me a new respect for the craft that first set me on this path all those years ago."
Season 4: Frances Quinn
Frances Quinn's gorgeous-looking bakes earned her the title of season four champion in 2013. Since her time on the show, the 40-year-old has come out with a cookbook and started her own baking blog. She even baked the world's largest Jaffa Cake in 2022.
Season 5: Nancy Birtwhistle
Grandmother of nine Nancy Birtwhistle is just as passionate about baking now as she was during the show's fifth season in 2014. Along with being active on social media, she has followed in her fellow competitors' footsteps and created her own blog and written several books, both about baking and how to live an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Season 6: Nadiya Hussain
Season six winner Nadiya Hussain went from competing on a TV show to having several of her own. She has starred in multiple cooking and baking shows as a host and judge, including GBBS's U.K. spinoff Junior Bake Off. Not to mention, she baked Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday cake in 2016.
Season 7: Candice Brown
Candice Brown is not only a baker, cookbook author and GBBS champion: She also earned the title of restaurant owner with the opening of her pub, The Green Man, in 2019.
Season 8: Sophie Faldo
After winning the competition's eighth season in 2017, Sophie Faldo turned her passion for baking into a job by launching her very own baking business, Sophie Faldo Couture Cakes.
Season 9: Rahul Mandal
Rahul Mandal used his skills as an engineer to secure his victory on the show's ninth season, always a step ahead of his fellow bakers when it came to figuring out measurements and logical chemical outcomes in his mind, let alone mastering flavors.
In 2022 he released his first cookbook, Showstopping Cakes: Mastering the Art and Science of Baking.
Now sharing real estate on his Instagram with his exquisite bakes, Rahul and wife Shreya welcomed daughter Deveshi Mandal in December 2024.
Season 10: David Atherton
Like many GBBS winners, health adviser David Atherton has released multiple cookbooks for kids of all ages.
He tied the knot with longtime partner and No. 1 taste-tester Nik Sariyski in 2023.
Season 11: Peter Sawkins
At the age of 20, Peter Sawkins became the youngest-ever winner of GBBS in 2020, triumphing during the show's pandemic bubble season.
He went on to graduate from University of Edinburgh in 2023 with a degree in accounting and finance. The comepetitive badminton player has also released the cookbooks Peter Bakes and Peter's Baking Party, and his social media accounts remain dedicated to baking videos and related culinary ventures.
Season 12: Giuseppe Dell'Anno
Giuseppe Dell'Anno impressed the judges with his Italian-inspired bakes in 2021.
He has since penned a couple of cookbooks and remains on the GBBS alum appearance circuit, but the engineer kept his day job and just found out in October 2025 that he and Rahul work for sister companies.
"How odd is it to meet him in a context where we all wear office outfits, discuss spreadsheets and cannot mention cake," Giuseppe captioned a post with his fellow GBBS winner, tagging them at University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Center.
Season 13: Syabira Yusoff
Talk about having baking down to a science.
Syabira Yusoff, a cardiovascular research associate at King's College London and doctor of philosophy, has remained on dual tracks.
After winning GBBS in 2022, she said she intended to keep her job as a researcher, telling Tatler, “Baking used to be an outlet for me when work was too stressful, so I want it to remain a hobby, rather than a job."
But her confections remain spectacular, including a birthday cake she made for fellow Malaysian Jimmy Choo in December 2024.
Syabira's other Instagram-ready hobbies include rooting for Arsenal with boyfriend Bradley.
Season 14: Matty Edgell
Teacher Matty Edgell hit his stride at just the right time, finishing so strong on GBBS he ended up winning the whole thing.
He has since started the online Matty Baking Academy and got engaged to girlfriend Lara, who had the foresight to send in the GBBS application on his behalf.
Matt shared in July 2025 that they're expecting their first baby together.
Incidentally, he also started whipping up homemade Kind bars to quell Lara's pregnancy cravings. Admittedly the bars were at first "a godsend for when she got hungry and needs to eat immediately," he wrote on Instagram. "However, the number of trips to Tesco to buy these were getting out of hand."
Season 15: Georgie Grasso
Georgie Grasso was admittedly was "completely overwhelmed" by her 2024 win.
"I don't know what happened, I think we were practicing so much and we were all exhausted," the pediatric nurse and mother of three told the BBC afterward. "I had such a tough week the week before, and I thought I'm not having another week of being stressed. I'm just going to enjoy it, and it all just fell into place."
But having sacrificed time with her husband and kids to make it all the way to the finish line, she was at least leaving with a bigger family.
"The people I have met are going to be best friends for life," Georgie said. "This is the best thing I have ever done."