Mel and Sue reveal they quit GBBO in a 'heartbeat'

'Certainly in my career it's the most extraordinary thing that I was gifted with'

Sue Perkins has opened up about her GBBO departure in a new interview, discussing how easy it was to leave The Great British Bake Off

 and how she and Mel made their decision in a 'heartbeat'.

The much-loved duo, who have presented the hit TV show since 2010, made headlines when they revealed they were 'not going with the dough' and would be opting out after the move to Channel 4.

Talking to BBC Radio 5 live, Sue explained the rational behind the pair's decision, admitting 'We made the decision that felt right for us, and it was made in a heartbeat, really.

'For us the show was best at its original home and we made no secret of the fact that that's where we wanted it to stay.'

The 47 year old made it clear that she saw the BBC as 'home' for GBBO and she wasn't swayed by the shiny new lights of Channel 4.

'Whilst I respect that it's moved on, it was easy... well I say easy, of course it's very sad to say goodbye to something you love, but it's definitely the right decision for us.'

Although the comedian has strong views about leaving the show, she admitted it was the highlight of her career and that she was 'delighted' to be part of it.

'I was delighted to be part of it. Certainly in my career it's the most extraordinary thing that I was gifted with...

'It was a very special, very unique, sort of mercurial show that had a sort of alchemy at its heart.'

Sue went on to hint that she didn't understand why Love Productions would move the show, putting it down as a 'business decision'.

'Ultimately I'm not a business person and business people make business decisions.

'I am somebody who wants to play and be silly and that's not my world, so whilst it's painful and whilst I don't fully understand it, you have to respect the people that do business.'

It turns out that the news of the shows change was as much of a shock to the cast as it was to the public, with Sue and Mel oblivious when filming.

Sue commented that this was quite a nice way to end her time on the programme, as there's no inclination in the series that it's the last.

'As far as I was concerned we'd be carrying on. So it's nice in a way, it wasn't filmed in a wistful way.

'It was filmed as business as usual, so there was no sense of what was to come when we were doing it.'

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