Why GBBO's Lizzie Acker Finds Her Fame So Puzzling
There's no denying that "The Great British Bake Off" is a beloved series in its native U.K., and the show has gained an international audience as streaming allows fans from around the world to tune in to see every week's bakes. It has even earned several celebrity fans, as Hello! reports, with stars like Jonathan Van Ness, Snoop Dogg, Taylor Swift, and more all having expressed their love for the wholesome competition show.
Due to its popularity and the fan base that often comes simply from appearing on the show, a significant number of former participants have even inked book deals, coming out with their own cookbooks, as per Eat Your Books. However, while some contestants may go into the experience expecting to come out the other end with far more fame than before, for recent competitor Lizzie Acker, the notability that comes along with appearing on the show is a bit puzzling, as People reports.
Acker told the publication she can't quite comprehend why so many people would be interested in her when "all I've done is bake a cake on the telly!" Though Acker whipped up some stunning creations during her time on the show, it wasn't just her technical prowess that had many viewers cheering her on — it was her unapologetic commitment to being herself and representing certain facets of her personality.
Why the public loves Lizzie
Lizzie Acker, who was a contestant on the 12th season of the show, brought her whole self to every episode of the competition, and the public was particularly impacted by a cake she made in week eight. That particular creation brought her personality and personal struggles out in cake form, representing various conditions such as dyslexia, ADHD, concentration disorder, special educational needs, and dyspraxia, as Metro UK reported. As she explained during the episode, she viewed neurodivergence and what happens in her own brain as "all about color and brain fuzz."
Several people spoke out about the impact that cake had. Some worked in industries related to the conditions Acker named, such as the Dyspraxia Foundation's chair. Others included actress Keira Knightley, who is dyslexic and confessed to People that the cake "literally had me bawling on the sofa" because she found it so "beautiful." Acker told People, "I didn't actually think it would have the outcome that it did," confessing that she ended up taking a week off work simply to reply to all the messages pouring in.
Acker now has nearly 80,000 followers on Instagram, where she often shares her creations and her time spent with fellow contestant Freya Cox. And, it seems she still loves to use baking as a way to shine a spotlight on various issues, such as a recent post supporting a program that helps prepare individuals facing barriers for employment.