Paul Hollywood has an important handshake to give — this time to his fellow judge. 

Prue Leith has decided to step down as a judge on The Great British Baking Show after nine seasons and “more than 400 challenges” in the famed tent. The South African and British restaurateur and host replaced Baking Show’s original co-host, Mary Berry, in 2017. 

“I have genuinely loved [The Great British Baking Show], and I’m sure I’ll miss working with my fellow judges, Paul, Alison, and Noel, and the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4,” Prue announced on her Instagram. While she says the show “has been a fabulous part of my life,” she now plans to “spend summers enjoying my garden.” Prue went onto write, “I’m 86 for goodness sake!” 

Channel 4's chief content officer Ian Katz said that Prue has been a “joyous presence in the tent,” who paired “absolute culinary authority with great generosity and empathy for the bakers.” He continued, “We are grateful for her passion, her wit, her ineffable style, and all the summers she spent in the tent. She leaves an indelible mark on the show and all its bakers. We will miss her wry, gentle judgement but look forward to working with her on new projects.”

“Huge thanks to Prue who has been a brilliant judge on Bake Off and a much loved presence in the tent for nearly a decade,” Love Productions shared in a statement. “From her genuine expertise and encouragement of the bakers to her ability to drop innocent innuendos that reduce the entire tent (and the audience at home) to tears of laughter, Prue will always have a piece of Bake Off’s heart.”

While the queen of statement necklaces will be missed, there’s no need to be a soggy bottom about the news. The next season of The Great British Baking Show will arrive later this year, and a new judge will be announced at a later time. “Whoever joins the team, I’m sure they’ll love it as much as I have,” Prue said. “I feel very lucky to have been part of it.”

Before a new batch of bakers enters the tent, check in with all the past winners who’ve taken home the coveted cake stand to find out what they’re up and how they’ve grown since the competition.