The Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith fell victim to FCC regulation on Thursday (November 21) when her comical description of King Charles III’s tea preference was censored on live television.
The South African restaurateur, 84, joined Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on their Live ABC talk show for a Thanksgiving cooking segment.
While sharing her recipe for a croissant, pear and chocolate hazelnut pudding, Leith recalled the time she was invited to cook for the Royal Family and accidentally botched the late Queen Elizabeth’s tea order.
Following Leith’s story, Ripa asked: “How does King Charles take his tea?”
“Um, I should think he probably likes it, um, what my husband would call… perhaps I can’t say this on morning television,” the longtime cooking show host responded, with Ripa urging her to “say whatever you want” on air.
“Hippie s***,” Leith said, leaving the studio in a fit of laughter.
“Love that,” Ripa replied as Consuelos agreed: “Yeah, I love it. I love it!”
Ripa went on to praise Leith, calling her an “American treasure,” while Leith further clarified that she didn’t actually know how the King liked his tea.
“He’s very green, and very concerned about the environment, so perhaps he’d like chamomile tea or one of those hippie teas!” she explained.
Leith is currently presiding over season 15 of The Great British Bake Off alongside fellow judge Paul Hollywood. Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding have also returned to co-host the series.
Earlier this week, Hammond was praised by viewers after she stepped in to console a contestant who was on the verge of quitting.
Tuesday night’s episode saw the contest enter the semi-final stage. Hollywood challenged the four remaining bakers to create an opera cake, which is a cake with multiple layers.
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However, the challenge was a bit too much to handle for Georgie, who became overwhelmed and shouted: “I quit.”
Responding to the situation, Hammond quickly rushed over to comfort Georgie and give her some words of encouragement.
“Oh my god I have done it wrong,” said the baker before adding: “I don’t understand,” as she despairingly put her face in her hands.
An emotional Georgie added: “I’m going, I’ve had enough, I’m going. I just don’t want to do it. I’m done. I’m going to stand here until the end.”
Hammond then put her arm around Georgie and told her: “Listen to me, I have been where you are, you can do it.
“What you’ve just done, listen, this is what you’re doing. You put yourself into a ‘I can’t do this.’ Listen to me you’ve got this, a million percent. Please, I’m begging ya, get that negative and throw it away right now.”
Georgie agreed with Hammond and returned to the kitchen to finish the cake.