Bake Off winner reveals the judge she just 'didn't understand'

It’s been a whirlwind of a year for The Great British Bake Off 2024 winner Georgie Grasso. After rising to the top spot over 10 weeks in the iconic tent, the proud Welsh-Italian mum-of-three, who lives with her kids and husband in a Welsh farmhouse, hasn’t taken her foot off the gas. Now, she’s navigating a very different life since swapping her nursing career for one where she can follow her foodie passions – and she loves it.

As the current series of Bake Off has viewers gripped, Georgie, 34, talksexclusively to OK! about the daily chaos of parenting her three children with her husband Kristian, her struggles with mental health, and what the likes of Pru Leith and Noel Fielding are really like behind the scenes.

READ MORE: Bake Off fans in shock as they slam show for going 'too far' with 'ridiculous' challenge

READ MORE: Ranvir Singh ‘brightens mornings’ in chic floral mini dress from the high street

Georgie, how would you describe life since winning Bake Off?!

Chaos, absolute chaos – in a great way! I decided to stop working in nursing, for a start. It was something I was going to do anyway, because of the children and my mental health. With my ADHD, I was really struggling doing a job that was so demanding. Nowadays, I work from home. I’m doing a lot of brand work in the food sector, which I’m really enjoying.

I really want to bring out a cookery book, but I’m not sure whether it’s going to be just a Welsh book or a Welsh-Italian book, to reflect my roots. So, that’s something I’m working on, but slowly. I don’t want to rush it. My son is 15 in a few weeks, and I’ve got an 11-year-old and a five-year-old, so it’s very busy in my home. It’s just mad all the time.

Your kids must think they have a very cool mum…

Oh, I am absolutely not the cool mum to them. It’s the complete opposite. When I first won, a lot of people were coming up to us in the street, which was so lovely, but my kids would just get so embarrassed, especially my daughter. Come to think of it, she gets embarrassed by pretty much anything I do!

Looking back at your Bake Off stint, did you have a favourite judge?

Honestly, they’re all amazing but Alison Hammond is literally my favourite person in the world. They’re all so down-to-earth, though. I think that’s one thing I’ve learned from doing Bake Off, you realise that TV presenters, or celebrities, are just normal people living their lives. It’s just that their jobs are very different to most people’s!

Were they very different when the cameras weren’t rolling?

They’re what they seem like on the TV, truly. Alison’s energy is so positive. It’s amazing. ThenPru, she was like my mammy on the show. Paul is also amazing, and although he comes off quite stern, he’s actually really funny and caring. With my ADHD, I can get quite confused, and I really didn’t understand a lot ofNoel’s jokes. I was like, ‘What are you on about, Noel?’ I’m very gullible. So he’d come over and say things and I’d try to go along with it but I didn’t have a clue.

Was the atmosphere between the bakers competitive, supportive or both?

I think everyone felt the same, in that, it wasn’t a competition. Even during the final, I’d rather go and help one of the others who was struggling than just focus on myself. Before finishing off my cake in the final, I remember Dylan was really struggling towards the end with time and I was just like, ‘Oh, I can finish mine off later, because I’m nearly done.’” We asked the producers, ‘We’re such a lovely group, is it always like this?’ And they said, ‘Yes, that’s the beauty of Bake Off!’ It’s that type of show, everyone just gets on. It’s really homely.

How did you prepare for your time in the famous tent?

I think the only way I could prepare was by practising and timing my bakes. If I could do the physical things, I knew it would help me mentally. I’m not a control freak, but I like to know what I’m doing. Otherwise, I do get into a total panic.

Actually, Mike [Wilkins] and I had a little ritual where we’d hug the big pink tree outside and think happy thoughts and give ourselves some positive motivation every time we were about to go into the tent. It just helped release any negative energy and stress. For me, it was hard to navigate it all, especially since I come from a small town.

Did you have any difficult moments on the show?

Well, I’ve struggled all of my life with mental health issues, and over the years, doctors put it down to just generalised anxiety, depression and then postnatal depression. I was 30 or 31 when I found out I have ADHD, and it was like ‘Right, actually, this all makes sense.’

Over the last few years I’ve been understanding more about that and how it can affect you. I think if I’d gone on the show years ago, I probably would have just lost it at times. But now I’m aware of my emotional needs, so when I needed to take myself away for a moment on set, I could do that. I’m good at recognising my emotions and the state of my mental health now.

Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , and Threads .