Sue Perkins made a name for herself alongside her comedy partner Mel Giedroyc – winning the nation’s hearts hosting shows such as The Great British Bake Off, Light Lunch, and Late Lunch.
Decades later, Sue remains a firm favourite on our TV screens, and is currently hosting another travelogue for Channel 5. This time, she is exploring South East Asia in Sue Perkins: Lost in Thailand.
Her career comes amid some devastating personal blows – including a very public split with her TV presenter partner, a brain tumour diagnosis, and her ADHD.
Here’s everything you need to know about Sue Perkins, her partner, her career, and why she and Mel really left GBBO…
Sue Perkins: Lost in Thailand on Channel 5
In Sue Perkins: Lost in Thailand, the comedian explores three regions of Thailand, meeting the memorable people and animals who live there. She kicks off her journey by heading north to Chiang Mai, abseiling from the Crazy Horse Buttress into an underground limestone cave. On the island of Phuket, Sue makes her diving debut in the tropical waters of the Andaman Sea, where she helps to clear detritus from a coral reef.
During the three-parter on Channel 5, she also makes paper from elephant poo, learns about the importance of bamboo, and participates in a ceremonial long boat race. Sue also visits Khoa Phra Theo Wildlife sanctuary, where she learns about the plight of gibbons
Later, Sue visits the country’s heady and exotic capital, Bangkok. She has a go at Muay Thai (a form of kick boxing), and learns how to drive a tuktuk.
The series is the latest in a string of travelogue’s that Sue has presented. She previously took part in Sue Perkins: Lost in Alaska, The Mekong River with Sue Perkins, and Japan with Sue Perkins.
What is Sue Perkins famous for?
Sue is probably most famous for being a comedian and presenter, although she’s also an actor and writer. She originally came to fame alongside her comedy partner Mel Giedroyc. As Mel and Sue, the pair hosted the likes of Late Lunch, Light Lunch and, of course, The Great British Bake Off.
Sue subsequently became known for taking part in the second UK series of Celebrity Big Brother. She appeared alongside eventual winner Mark Owen, and Les Dennis.
In April 2007, she took part in the television series, Edwardian Supersize Me, for the BBC. She was joined by food critic Giles Coren. This later spawned the spin-off The Supersizers Go…
In 2008, Sue Perkins appeared on the reality television series Maestro on BBC Two, which she won. She later wrote and appeared in her own sitcom, entitled Heading Out.
In 2016, she began hosting the BBC Two panel show Insert Name. More recently, she took part in the 2021 series of The Masked Singer as Dragon and finished in fifth place.
Beginning in September 2023, Sue Perkins appeared as a contestant on the 16th series of Taskmaster, and finished fourth. As an actress, she’s played Fran in the TV series Hitmen, Emily Bronte in How to Build a Girl, and Dr Lloyd in Casualty.
Why did Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc quit GBBO?
Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc quit GBBO following the shock news that the show was moving from the BBC to Channel 4. They co-hosted the series for seven seasons.
Their spokeswoman gave a statement via Press Association. They pair said: “We were very shocked and saddened to learn yesterday evening that Bake Off will be moving from its home. We made no secret of our desire for the show to remain where it was.
“The BBC nurtured the show from its infancy and helped give it its distinctive warmth and charm, growing it from an audience of two million to nearly 15 at its peak.
“We’ve had the most amazing time on Bake Off, and have loved seeing it rise and rise like a pair of yeasted Latvian baps. We’re not going with the dough. We wish all the future bakers every success.”
Mary Berry also announced she would be leaving the show. Paul Hollywood separately announced he would be staying. Since Mel and Sue left GBBO, Sandi Toksvig, Noel Fielding, Matt Lucas, and Alison Hammond have all hosted the show.
Are they still friends? How did Mel & Sue meet?
Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc met at Cambridge University, where they were both studying.
After a few years writing for French & Saunders (and occasionally appearing on their BBC series), they co-hosted a lunchtime show on Channel 4 entitled Light Lunch, and an early evening version, Late Lunch, which ran from March 1997 to February 1998.
In January 2015, the duo began hosting their own daytime chat show on ITV called Mel and Sue. In August 2015, it was announced that Mel and Sue had been cancelled by ITV. They later hosted an ill-fated new version of The Generation Game for BBC One.
Does she have a brain tumour?
Former GBBO host Sue Perkins admitted her brain tumour diagnosis “destroyed my life from the inside out”. Although the tumour is “benign”, she revealed the “epic destruction” that it had on her life.
Sue discovered the condition when she undertook blood tests as part of TV show The Supersizers. She subsequently said it caused her to “walk out of my life”. She was 38 at the time.
The star went through a “very, very dark time” since the tumour “started to make its presence felt”, and that she had been “losing my mind”.
Discussing how she found out about it while presenting the BBC show, she said: “In this small, very clinical white side-room, this woman said ‘you have a brain tumour’.”
She added: “There’s always a delay for me. It’s only really now that I consider the epic destruction this tiny little rice-shaped thing in my pituitary gland has caused.”
Although the tumour was benign, there were symptoms. Devastatingly, her specialist told her that she could not have children. She subsequently “ended a relationship”.
Sue’s father was diagnosed with a non-benign, terminal tumour, and ultimately died. Symptoms include headaches, nausea and vomiting, personality changes, vision, speech problems, and seizures.
Is Sue Perkins gay?
Tatler magazine named Sue Perkins as one of London’s most high-profile lesbians. However, she did not make the choice to ‘come out’ to the British public.
Instead, her former partner Rhona Cameron – also a comedian – outed her on in 2002 after her appearance on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
Appearing on CBB, Sue opened up to Les Dennis and Mark Owen about her bitter break-up with the TV presenter. She revealed how ex-partner Rhona, whom she dated for two years, outed her in a newspaper article after appearing on IAC.
Sue said: “Rhona sold her story when she came out of the jungle and effectively outed me which is my right to do.” She added: “There was a reason I deliberately avoided it. I spent years dealing with it. Basically, I think society has moved on to a point where you don’t have to make these dramatic declarations. Nobody gives a toss!”
During an interview with Radio 4, Sue admitted she wanted to “throw up” when she realised she was gay. She said: “I wasn’t eating and sleeping. I didn’t know what was wrong and a friend said ‘you’re in love’.
“I just thought, I want to throw up… It was so far from my frame of reference that when it was presented to me as a truth I had that violent reaction.”
Did Sue Perkins date Anna Richardson?
Sue dated Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson for seven years. They met in 2013 at a Halloween party and started a relationship shortly after.
Anna had just broken up with her boyfriend Charles Martin, with whom she’d been for 18 years. Speaking to Diva magazine, Anna said it was wonderful being in a relationship with a woman – but very intense.
She explained: “The sexual adjustment is easy, the emotional adjustment is something else, as you know, a relationship with a woman is far more intense. This I have learnt. It’s an emotional tsunami.”
However, the pair split up in the summer of 2021 – after seven years together. At the time of their split, Anna and Sue reportedly felt “devastated”.
Does Sue Perkins have children with partner?
Sue Perkins does not have children, and felt “bereaved” when a doctor told her she would be unable to have children due to suffering from prolactinoma (brain tumour).
Although she wasn’t sure if she wanted to have children, not being able to was devastating for the star. In a past interview, she explained: “I can’t now have it as an out-of-sight, out-of-mind possibility, lurking.
“It’s just not going to happen, it’s not going to ever be part of my life. And, although I never yearned to physically have my own child, it felt like a bereavement.”
Sue Perkins and former partner Anna had considered having children together, through fostering or adoption.
Traumatic accident left Sue short-sighted
Sue Perkins was left short-sighted after a “traumatic” childhood incident. She told the Mirror that as a child she fell off scaffolding, hitting herself in the eye with a steel pole. She was left short-sighted in one eye as a result.
The comedian said that her other eye is long-sighted with “the reach of a sparrowhawk”.
Sue told the publication that she considers herself to be an absolute klutz, and always follows her instincts over common-sense.
She said: “As a child I tripped and fell into the path of some scaffolding and took a steel bar to the face. It was so traumatic and left me very short-sighted in one eye.”
Sue says she was a regular at her local eye hospital due to her bad fortune.
Does Sue Perkins have ADHD?
The comedian has spoken candidly about her ADHD and how the shock diagnosis impacted her family.
Shared her experience, she said: “Once I had the diagnosis, everything made sense – to me and to those who love me.
According to the NHS website, ADHD is a condition which impacts behaviour. People with ADHD can feel restless, act impulsively and struggle to focus.
The condition is usually diagnosed in children and can ease with age. However, it is thought around 4% of adults still experience symptoms.
Read more: Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins’ friendship almost ended after Sue’s brain tumour rocked their world
Sue Perkins: Lost in Thailand concludes on Friday, May 24, 2024 at 9pm on Channel 5.
Would you like to see Sue Perkins and comedy partner Mel Giedroyc return to GBBO? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.