GBBO's Jane's heartbreak as her father passes away days before the final

The Great British Bake Off finalist Jane Beedle has suffered a heartbreaking family loss.

A source revealed to The Sun that Jane's father passed away unexpectedly, just days before the end of the series.

'Jane and her family are absolutely buzzing over her success on Bake Off but have had to put the BBC show to one side for now,' the insider said.

'Jane's father's health took a turn for the worse and sadly passed away last week.'

'The whole family are grieving and it's had a big impact on Jane particularly. She was very close with her dad.'

'Even though it's the Bake Off final next week Jane wanted to make sure she was there with her family to clear his house and go through the belongings. It was a really emotional time.'

Jane herself hinted at the sad news on Twitter, explaining that she's recently taken a trip to France to visit her brother.

'With my, not so little, brother in France,' the garden designer wrote alongside a picture of the pair together. 'It's lovely to see him but it's a shame it's in sad circumstances. Fun to watch #GBBO together.'

Jane has previously said that much of her baking inspiration was passed down from her family - her grandfather ran a bakery, whilst her father also loved to cook, and she recalled watching him pipe and ice many cakes throughout her childhood.

Following in his footsteps, she's wowed the judges with her impressive array of intricate bakes, with both Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood praising her work on many occasions. She was even the first star baker of the series, thanks to a delicious drizzle cake.

After successfully making her way through the patisserie week semi-final, the 61-year-old will join remaining contestants Candice Brown and Andrew Smyth in next Wednesday's finale.