Paul Hollywood’s ex shares inspirational message a year after split

Paul Hollywood’s ex-wife Alexandra has spoken of the “toughest time” of her life since their marriage collapsed 12 months ago.

The 54-year-old was married to the Great British Bake Off star for 19 years before they split in November 2017.

He is now with 23-year-old Summer Monteys-Fullam, a barmaid from his local pub.

Read more: Paul Hollywood’s 22-year-old ‘girlfriend’ breaks silence on 30-year age gap

Posting on Instagram, a defiant Alexandra said she was “still standing”.

“A year ago today my marriage ended,” she wrote.

“There have been stories and speculation about the reasons why and to say it’s been a rough ride is somewhat of an understatement.

Read more: Paul Hollywood announces split from wife

“But 12 months on I’m still here, I’m still standing and even though this has to have been the toughest time of my life so far, I still have much to be thankful for.”

She said she wanted to offer advice and encouragement for others going through a divorce.

View this post on Instagram

A year ago today my marriage ended. There have been stories and speculation about the reasons why and to say it’s been a rough ride is somewhat of an understatement. But 12 months on I’m still here, I’m still standing and even though this has to have been the toughest time of my life so far, I still have much to be thankful for. So I just want to say to anyone else setting out on this daunting journey – it takes courage to face the unknown, stay strong, you can do this and you’re not alone. You’ll find new friends and value your old ones all the more, you will realise how very loved and important you are to your Tribe and how, no matter how hard it gets, you’ll always have choices.. so make sure you make the best choice for YOU. I plan to live my new life boldly, be creative, cook like mad, hug the ones I love, grab opportunities with both hands and enjoy being me. PS and I’ll be keeping control of the TV remote from now on too..

A post shared by Alexandra Hollywood (@alexandrahollywood) on Nov 3, 2018 at 1:32am PDT

“I just want to say to anyone else setting out on this daunting journey — it takes courage to face the unknown, stay strong, you can do this and you’re not alone,” Alexandra said.

“You’ll find new friends and value your old ones all the more, you will realise how very loved and important you are to your Tribe and how, no matter how hard it gets, you’ll always have choices.. so make sure you make the best choice for YOU.

“I plan to live my new life boldly, be creative, cook like mad, hug the ones I love, grab opportunities with both hands and enjoy being me.”

She added: “PS and I’ll be keeping control of the TV remote from now on too..”

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Paul, 52, and Alexandra, who have a teenage son, met in Cyprus in 1996 when they were working at the same hotel.

The couple previously separated after the TV star had a brief affair with US Bake Off co-host Marcela Valladolid in 2013.

Paul called it “the biggest mistake of my life” and convinced Alexandra to give their marriage another go, ultimately without success.

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