Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood “fell in love” when he went on a “dream holiday”.
The 59-year-old has travelled the world thanks to his job as a baker and television presenter. Earlier in his career he spent six years working in Cyprus after becoming a head baker at top hotels in the UK.
Meanwhile his TV career has seen him travelling to the likes of Japan, to learn about the Asian nation’s cuisine as well as Mexico. He also appeared on The Great American Baking Show - a Bake Off spin-off.
But it was a trip to the Maldives in the Indian Ocean that Paul yearned for. Paul says the trip gave him a chance to unwind as well as indulge in his passion for diving.
Speaking on Alan Carr’s Life’s a Beach podcast, he said: “Maldives was one of those places that, it was a dream destination for me, and I managed to get there a couple of years ago and I just fell in love with it. I was on a beautiful island called Vakkaru and it was just a stunning island.
“The sea, I’m a scuba diver so I did a bit of scuba diving while I was there, and it was just stunning. The fish, the sharks, the rays, and the food.
“Everyone got bicycles, each villa got bicycles to get around the island on, it wasn’t very big, you could literally get around it in a minute, but I loved it. I fell in love with the place.”
Paul says he encountered rays and reef sharks while diving in the ocean. Paul has regularly spoken out about his life on the road, admitting he once visited 47 different major cities in just 12 months.
While filming Paul Hollywood – City Bakes for the Food Network in 2016, he found himself “constantly” moving around. He explained he visited Miami, New York, Paris, Copenhagen, St Petersburg, Munich, Naples, Madrid and Warsaw in quick succession.
He admits however his favourite breaks are those when he can just relax and enjoy some peace and quiet. Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: “I like anything remote or quiet, whether it’s in the countryside, up the west coast of Scotland or smaller boutique hotels that aren’t crowded.
“Ironically, when I was in Dubai with the BBC Good Food Show, even though it’s an urban area, when you see the vast panorama from the top of the Burj Khalifa, it feels remote, as if it’s just sprung up out of the desert. I like Dubai. I didn’t think I would, but the food and the people were great.”
Paul says the Dubai heat “didn’t bother” him having lived in Cyprus. Paul has been a judge on Bake Off since the show’s inception in 2010.
He was initially cast alongside Mary Berry, but the 90-year-old left the show when it moved to Channel 4. Current judge Prue Leith took over her role in 2017, and remains on the show now.
