What The Winners Of The Great British Baking Show Are Doing Today

Season 17 of "The Great British Baking Show," (or, "The Great British Bake-Off," as it's officially called in its origin country of the United Kingdom) started with a bang in late September 2026, with none other than the iconic Nigella Lawson replacing Prue Leith as Paul Hollywood's co-host. Every year, the contestants bake and decorate their way through the season, with only one going home with the win. The show is one of the most-watched reality shows in television history — but have you ever wondered what the previous winners are up to, after their stint in the tent?

There's no cash prize on this show, so it's up to the winner to use the newfound publicity and fame to their advantage. Some past winners have launched culinary careers, others returned to their day jobs, while some took completely different paths altogether. We check in and see what each of the "GBBS" winners are doing now, and see how their lives have changed since taking home that coveted cake stand.

Edd Kimber was a 24-year-old who had hated his job as a bank debt collector. He started experimenting with baking as a means to relax after work, conjuring memories of, and recipes by, his grandmother. When it was apparent he had a passion for baking, he decided to apply for culinary school, but was turned down. A friend of his persuaded him to put his hat in the ring to compete on a new BBC2 cooking series, "The Great British Baking Show." To his surprise, he not only was accepted — he also won.

Kimber's bakes were frequently praised by judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry. Kimber admits that he made several "businessy" mistakes after winning that he advises other winners to avoid making (via The Express). "It's useful if you know someone who has been through it and they can tell you what sort of things to avoid and not feel pressured to run into things," he said. "I've tried to do that."

Since 2010, Kimber has written seven cookbooks (his latest, "Chocolate Baking," was released in 2026), launched a third career as a food photographer, and has made regular television appearances, including a Food Network Christmas show with another "GBBS" winner, John Whaite.

The second season winner of "The Great British Baking Show," Joanne Wheatley, has the dubious claim of being the first contestant whose life made the gossip magazines. After winning the 2011 series, it was soon revealed that her husband, Richard, nicknamed "The Bear," was serving a seven-year prison sentence for his participation in an over $76 million money laundering scheme. To Wheatley's credit, she was upfront with "GBBS" producers about her jailbird hubby, but they didn't want her colorful home life to define who she would be on the show. As the BBC reported, Wheatley's baking skills shone, particularly winning over Mary Berry with her perfect petits fours.

The Bear's legal problems had no effect on Wheatley's popularity. Her two baking books, "A Passion for Baking" and "Home Baking" sold exceptionally well. Wheatley has been a frequent contributor to various magazines and newspapers, hosts British food events, makes television appearances, and has a vibrant social media presence, thanks to her blog, Jo's Blue Aga. After winning "GBBS," she soon opened  Essex Cookery School in her home, which was voted by The Guardian as one of the top five baking schools in 2018. In recent years, she has retired to Lisbon, Portugal, and is no longer running her cooking school.

The 2012 winner, John Whaite, almost didn't get the coveted cake plate. He messed up big time when he used salt instead of sugar in his rum babas — and when he sliced open his finger while making strudel, he had to withdraw from the round. Despite the setbacks, Whaite won on the merits of his mirror-glazed chocolate chiffon cake. He had been going to law school before being selected for the show, and after his win, he hung up his barrister's robe and earned his culinary degree from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu. Despite that accomplishment, Whaite has expressed complicated feelings about his win. He told Manchester Evening News, "Some days I'd wish I had never been on the show, because in reality, it totally derailed me from a steady lifepath."

Following his win, work offers dried up; and after a bout of pneumonia, Whaite escaped to a farm in Canada. As reported by The Irish News, the responsibility of taking care of the animals helped him find a more centered self. Whaite has since returned to Manchester and has published five cookbooks, written numerous articles on food and mental health, and opened a cooking school and a supper club. In 2026, Whaite announced he would be opening a new bakery, Ruff Puff Bakehouse. On a more personal note, he has spoken openly about his struggles with mental health and suicidal ideation, sharing his story with the hope it might help others.

When she entered the 2013 season of "GBBS," Frances Quinn was children's clothing designer. She used her drawing skills to create a Shakespearean-themed three-tier wedding cake that Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry said "beat the other two guys hands down."

In 2015, Quinn produced the cookbook "Quinntessential Baking," which combines baking with graphic design. On her website, Quinn writes, "Sketching up designs and pairing them with a recipe helps to feed both mine and other people's creative appetite." Since winning, Quinn has almost been scandal-free, except for two recent events. In an interview with Cosmopolitan in 2019, she revealed a lot of behind-the-scenes secrets of "GBBS," including the tidbit that contestants have to buy their own ingredients to practice their signature bakes. And then in May 2020, undercover detectives of a popular supermarket detained her for shoplifting. The petty crime was resolved so Quinn wouldn't have a police record, but she can't set foot in the store again. As of 2026, Quinn is a creative consultant working across food, design, and visual storytelling.

In 2014, "The Great British Baking Show" had moved from BBC2 to BBC1. The switch dramatically increased ratings, leaping to over 12 million viewers for the finale, in which Nancy Birtwhistle toppled fan-favorite Richard Burr. Before auditioning for "GBBS," Birtwhistle had a 30-year career in health services, and was also a dog trainer. Her prior experience helped her maintain her calm yet determined demeanor during the show, which earned her the nickname "Fancy Nancy."

Since 2014, Birtwhistle has appeared on many cooking shows, and has given inspirational speeches at food festivals. She's developed a loyal social media fan base, including "Queer Eye"'s Jonathan Van Ness, for whom Birtwhistle created a special chocolate cake. In 2019, Birtwhistle published her cookbook "Sizzle and Drizzle: Tips For a Modern Day Homemaker," which includes vegan and gluten-free recipes as well as best practices in and out of the kitchen that she learned from her grandmother. She has since released six more books on cooking, gardening, and housekeeping. Birtwhistle has morphed into a kind of British Martha Stewart, giving householding cleaning tips, raising chickens, and advocating for switching to an eco-friendly home.

Nadiya Hussain is probably the "Great British Baking Show" winner who has had the most post-show success. She was beloved by viewers at the time of airing, which helped boost her career once the show wrapped up. Prior to the show airing, Hussain was anxious about how she would be perceived by viewers. She admitted to The Guardian, "perhaps people would look at me, a Muslim in a headscarf, and wonder if I could bake." But, she won the hearts of viewers, and her skills spoke for themselves.

Hussain took advantage of the "GBBS" publicity juggernaut by moving her family to a London suburb in 2015,to pursue her culinary career. The following year, she was asked to bake Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday cake — an opportunity she almost turned down. She published her first cookbook, "Nadiya's Kitchen" that same year, and then in 2017, released a cookbook in conjunction with her television series, "Nadiya's British Food Adventure."

Over the years, Hussain has published more cookbooks. However, in 2025, she published an Instagram post talking about how hard it was to post about food in a positive way, due to it being used as a weapon in Gaza. In the same post, she also announced changes to her career, such as not working with brands that support the genocide of the Palestinian people. Since then, she has spoken out about her experiences of gaslighting and racism in the industry.

During Season 7, Candice Brown became fodder for gossip columnists, with newspapers seemingly more interested in her lipstick choices than her talent as a baker. Brown said in an interview with The Express that she received violent threats from viewers who didn't like her pout, which she explained was to conceal her bad teeth — not that she needed an excuse to make whatever facial expression she wanted to.

After winning her season, she initially returned to work as a physical education instructor for children with special needs, but the principal was supportive of her culinary work as well, per Hello!. "If we can't encourage our staff to follow their dreams and inspire, then we are not doing our job properly," she told Brown. Brown's cookbook, "Comfort: Delicious Bakes & Family Treats", was soon published, and she has appeared on cooking shows, game shows, and a different sort of competition show, "Dancing On Ice."

Since then , she has written another cookbook, "Happy Cooking." She is currently the landlady of a pub, The Greenman in Eversholt, which she opened with her brother. The pair also co-own Margo's in Woburn, a popular restaurant, wine bar, and deli.

As an Army officer who served in Afghanistan, Sophie Faldo put the discipline and determination she is instilled with into baking gorgeous showstoppers. Her win, though, was anti-climatic because six hours before the finale aired, the show's new judge, Prue Leith, accidentally revealed Faldo's win in a tweet. After winning, Faldo had plans to publish a cookbook, but after falling out with her management company, she scrapped it, and it was never published. At about the same time, The Sun reported incorrectly that she had re-enlisted in the Army — but, she had actually never left. Faldo became the ambassador for Combat Stress, a charity that supports servicemen and servicewomen who suffer from PTSD.

Although she hated the tabloid aspect of "GBBS," she stoked the gossip flames in an interview with Huffington Post UK by confessing that it had not been a positive experience. "I'd love to propagate the idea that it's all bunting and rainbows." However, she blamed her self-induced pressure more than she did the producers. She has made a few television appearances, including on the controversial and thought-provoking Travel With A Goat. In early 2020, Faldo launched Sophie Faldo Couture Cakes, which she describes as handcrafting "luxury bespoke cakes" for weddings. In 2023, Faldo appeared on the "Great Christmas Bake Off," and won.

The most self-effacing contestant was the Season 9 winner Rahul Mandal. Mandal was a research engineer for the University of Sheffield's Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. A self-taught baker, he had little confidence he could win, and some of his bakes were disasters, like his overstuffed doughnuts and burnt pita bread. Mandal had a sob-worthy backstory, which perhaps accounted for his demonstrably emotional responses to his and fellow bakers' mishaps and successes. Eventually, he earned a "Hollywood handshake," a term given to rare praise from judge Paul Hollywood, and his confidence grew. He clinched the win, despite a glass-measuring jug crashing to smithereens onto his ingredients, which forced him to redo the entire bake.

After winning, Mandal did a round of publicity interviews, but he returned to his job at the NAMRC. He became an ambassador for STEM — a school curriculum for teaching students science and math. Although his recipes were featured in the "Great British Bake Off: Get Baking for Friends and Family" cookbook, he has no plans of releasing his own. He went on 2021's "The Great New Year Bake Off" and won once more, but this didn't lead him to pursue a cooking career, either. He still shows off his creations on social media and is teaching his kid to bake.

In 2019, David Atherton was the first "GBBS" winner to never win Star Baker. Although he was usually in the top tier in every episode, Paul Hollywood apparently didn't care for his bakes, Atherton said in an interview with Vulture. Atherton was also unusual in that he often finished before the other bakers, and then helped them finish their bakes. Like Sophie Faldo, Atherton employed the cool-headed precision he learned from his regular job, as a health adviser for Volunteer Service Overseas. 

During and after the show, he admitted to Pink News that he had received criticism on social media for being openly gay. Atherton comes from a religious, anti-LGBTQ family, and when he sees abuse, he uses his "GBBS" fame to take a stand, most recently, for transgender rights. In August 2020, "My First Cook Book," was published, the first in a series of cookbooks for kids that focuses on healthy eating, instead of sugar-laden treats.

In personal news, Atherton and his partner Nik got married in 2023. He is also the co-host, with former baking show contestant Michael Chakraverty, of the popular "GBBS" companion podcast, "Sticky Bun Boys."

In 2020, Peter Sawkins became the youngest winner of the "Great British Baking Show," at age 20. Shot in the middle of the U.K.'s Covid-19 lockdowns, it must have been a surreal experience. While many shows practiced social distancing, or totally shut down production, the cast and crew of 2020's "GBBS" existed in a bubble. There was a period of quarantine and testing beforehand, and nobody was allowed to leave the set.

After the show aired, Sawkins kept baking while also continuing his studies at the University of Edinburgh. He graduated in 2023, with a degree in accounting and finance, but baking was never far from his mind. In fact, Sawkins voiced some ideas about Queen Elizabeth's birthday cake in 2022, saying he would have baked her a Victoria sandwich — a classic choice — but with lemon curd instead of jam, due to her love of lemon desserts.

Despite not baking for Queen Elizabeth, Sawkins did end up making a cake for the City of Edinburgh's 900th anniversary, which was cut by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. He has released two cookbooks: "Peter Bakes" and "Peter's Baking Party." He has also since studied at pastry school, and in 2026, he announced that he was making a full-time career out of baking and content creation, or as he referred to it, "Media Baker."

Taking the glass cake stand in 2021, Giuseppe Dell'Anno was the first Italian to win the "Great British Baking Show." Dell'Anno moved to the U.K. in his early 20s, planning to stay for just six months. Two decades, a PhD, a marriage, and three kids later, he calls himself a "Britalian." He was inspired to bake by his father, a professional chef, and all these years of practice clearly paid off, because he triumphed despite the final being incredibly close.

At the time of winning, Dell'Anno was working at the National Composites Centre as chief engineer. And unlike some of his fellow winners, upon winning, he swapped his day job for a full-time baking career. His debut cookbook, "Giuseppe's Italian Bakes," came out in October 2022 and drew heavily on his father's personal notes. It made it onto The Telegraph's list of the best cookbooks in autumn of that same eyar. A follow-up releasedin 2023, "Giuseppe's Easy Bakes," collects 60 accessible Italian treats, most of which take 30 minutes or less to prepare.

Alongside his recipe writing, Dell-Anno also works as a freelance baker, creating cakes for special occasions. He also offers catering services and runs cooking classes. So, if you want to learn from a real life "GBBS" winner, Dell'Anno's your guy.

Syabira Yusoff won the "Great British Baking Show" in 2022. Yusoff's Malaysian heritage is important to her — something she brought with her into the tent, using flavor combinations from her homeland that ended up wowing the judges. She was taught to cook by her grandmother, who instilled the importance of getting the ratios of a recipe right.

Since winning in '22, Yusoff hasn't pursued a career in baking or food in general, nor has she released any books, but, she has mentioned that it's a dream of hers to do so. Instead of going into baking as a career, she works as a cardiovascular researcher and bioinformatician, though she still bakes for fun. She says her stint on "GBBS" helped to boost her confidence.

She believes that her science background helps with her baking, as well. As a lab researcher, she's used to looking into every component of an experiment and figuring out its purpose. She extends this to baking — researching every ingredient in a recipe carefully, working out why they're important and whether they could be used in different ways to create new effects. Perhaps we haven't seen the last of Yusoff, but we're glad to know she's still putting her talents to good use.

Despite not being the flashiest of bakers, Matty Edgell played to his strengths, turning out delicious bake after delicious bake until he reached the top spot. He wasn't actually planning on applying for the "Great British Baking Show." It was actually his then-girlfriend (now his wife), Lara, who filled out the application on his behalf. Luckily he decided to go through with it, because his baking skills landed him with the win in 2023.

Edgell was a physical education teacher in Cambridgeshire, England, when he went on the show. He went back to teaching after his win, juggling television appearances and events attendance alongside his educational career. However, in 2024, he decided to step away his current teaching role and started instructing others to bake online, when he opened Matty Baking Academy.

Edgell also actively posts recipes on social media, and, was the official ambassador for the 2026 Veolia Orchard scheme, an iniative in the U.K. that promotes planting fruit trees and plants in community settings.

Georgie Grasso made "Great British Baking Show" history in 2024 as the first Welsh winner. Before appearing on the show, she was working as a nurse in Carmarthen, Wales; but since then, she has built an online following and a full-time career as a content creator. She's also spoken openly about living with ADHD — and many fans have said her honesty has helped them, as well.

However, in August 2026, Grasso shared a health update on Instagram, revealing that she'd been diagnosed with bipolar II disorder and autism, and that ADHD was a misdiagnosis. She said the news came as a shock, but helped explain why certain aspects of life had been a struggle for her. She also said she was starting new medication in the hope of finding more stability.

She's been clear that she still has a lot to learn about bipolar disorder, and isn't ready to act as an advocate for it yet — but that talking openly about mental health is still extremely important to her. Grasso has also shared that she and her family have moved to a farm, and have adopted a pony named Oreo.

Jasmine Mitchell won the 2025 series, taking Star Baker five times. In the final, she baked the largest cake in the show's history, a 1.2-meter (close to 4-foot) creation, made in just four and a half hours. Paul Hollywood said she was the best winner the show had seen in a while. And she did all of this while in the middle of studying to become a doctor.

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Mitchell studied medicine at the University of St Andrews before moving to London to continue her training. She juggled filming with her medical exams, which impressed the judges, as well as viewers. Although winning the series, Mitchell hasn't traded in her studies for a baking career. She is still training to become a doctor, but she hasn't given up her passion for food, and is open to where it could take her.

She signed with KBJ Management, and has since appeared on television and radio. A cookbook is on her wish list, too, as Mitchell has said that she is hoping to put her recipes down on paper, though there's no sign of a release yet. Between her medical career, growing media profile, and potential book, Mitchell is definitely one to watch.