The Great British Bake Off contestant Georgie said filming the show’s latest episode was “incredibly difficult” after a necklace she wore in memory of her late daughter broke.
Georgie revealed her life changed forever in 2021 “when my little girl was stillborn at 25 weeks”, telling her Instagram followers “you’re not alone”.
“The necklace of her hand and footprints that I wore every day during this amazing challenge, along with my mother and daughter’s necklace, broke midway through the challenge without my knowledge and I was devastated,” she explain.
Georgie described how comforted she was by presenters Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding, and said the Channel 4 production team was “absolutely amazing”.
“Alison and Noel held me, comforted me and encouraged me to keep going,” she said.
“Then we found these pieces on the floor and the team kept them for me and ran out and bought me a new chain.
“After this, during the rest of the challenge, I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing, that’s why I looked so bloated and ugly, but I kept going but I couldn’t give it my all.”
The 34-year-old mother-of-three from Carmarthenshire is one of 12 amateur bakers competing in this year’s bake-off.
“I’m not sure if I want to say this, but I would say it’s part of me and my journey,” she said.
“[It] Almost all the excitement was consumed. This is not a sob story or an excuse for not performing well, but something I want to explain. Next week is Baby Loss Awareness Week and it’s appropriate to share awareness.
This week’s exciting challenge, airing on Tuesday night, challenges bakers to create puppet theater out of cookies.
George’s highlight performance was the “Wells Festival,” decorated by chocolate biscuit folk dancers.
“I really wanted to create something special for Wills, and I’m truly sorry that I didn’t try my best,” she said in an Instagram post Tuesday night.
“I’m not looking for sympathy or anything like that. I’m just trying to explain why I didn’t try my best,” she added.
Georgie said she later found out she wasn’t the only contestant on the show affected by the loss of her child.
Bake Off contestant Nellie, who lives in Dorset, created a Forest Dance puppet show and told the show her piece was “about my relationship with my husband”.
“We’ve been through a lot of obstacles, but there’s light at the end of the forest. We have two beautiful children and five stars – each one representing the children we have left behind,” Nelly said on the show.
Nellie “shared her grief with me,” Georgie said, adding: “We got up and moved on.”
“To anyone who is struggling, please know that you are not alone,” Georgie said.
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can find details of organizations that can help: BBC Action Line.
