Prue Leith (Credit: Channel 4 YouTube)
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Prue Leith reveals she once accidentally KNIFED one of her restaurant employees

Judge recalls staff weren't keen on cooking with her after bizarre accident

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Great British Bake Off star Prue Leith has explained how she once accidentally stabbed a chef.

The TV personality was the owner of swanky London restaurant Leith’s for over 25 years after opening it in 1969.

And even though the Michelin-starred eaterie commanded sensational reviews, one Spanish cook could have had cause to complain during his time in Prue’s kitchen.

According to Mirror Online, the Channel 4 judge revealed the bizarre knifing went down after she became “unbalanced” while mucking in.

Prue compensated the stabbed chef (Credit: Brett D. Cove / SplashNews.com

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The website quotes the 79-year-old as saying she plunged the short blade into the restaurant’s second chef’s leg as she attempted to steady herself.

But big-hearted Prue insisted on compensating the kitchen worker over the 1970s incident, even though he was apparently understanding and “sympathetic” about being stabbed.

The Mirror reports Prue recalled: “I was standing in for a chef who had fallen off a ladder and hurt his leg. I’d cooked a lot in my catering company and I’ve taught a lot, but I’ve never been a restaurant chef.

“I was pregnant at the time and very, very unbalanced.”

The 79-year-old joined GBBO jn 2017 (Credit: Andy Barnes / Flynet – SplashNews / SplashNews.com)

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Prue – who joined GBBO as a replacement for Mary Berry when the hit show switched from the BBC to Channel 4 in 2017 – described the unfortunate victim of her wobble as a “nice guy”, adding the chef was given “quite a lot” of cash to make good.

She added: “I felt compensation was due. Being stabbed in the leg by the boss was not nice.”

The South African-born food writer also noted none of her staff in Leith’s were willing to cook with her afterwards.

Mum-of-two Prue, who has also made regular appearances in The Great British Menu, sold the Notting Hill restaurant where the accident occurred in 1995.

Prue Leith (Credit: Channel 4 YouTube)
With her Bake Off co-stars Paul Hollywood, Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig (Credit: Channel 4 YouTube)

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Robert Leigh
Freelance writer